Apple's curvier iPhone 3G is upon us. The 2008 model effectively ousts the original with its fast 3G connectivity, better battery life and built-in GPS.
Bar these hardware upgrades, the iPhone is much the same as the original – it's got the same 30-pin dock connector on the bottom, it boasts the same 3.5-inch multi-touch display and it runs the same 2.0 iPhone software.
Whether you ponied up £269 for an original iPhone, or you've just unboxed the new 3G version, there are a wealth of extras that you can buy to go with it. From suede flip-cases and headsets to speaker docks and software, we've gathered together our favourite iPhone add-ons below.
iPhone cases
The first thing your shiny iPhone needs is a protective case. O2 and Carphone Warehouse shops only carry a limited collection.
You'll find rubberised silicon cases (lightweight, cheap, protect from scratches) and smart leather pouches (too fiddly, hides the actual phone); Blackberry-style holsters (that clip to your belt) and neoprene armbands (designed for sports fanatics). Prices range from £7 to £20.
Search the web, however, and you'll find that there are even more. There are natty suede flip-cases and tough clear acrylic shells.
There are striking mirrored iPhone cases, invisible 'shields' and Luis Vuitton luxury sleeves. There's even a $20,000 18-carat gold iPhone case embedded with 42 diamonds.
There's really no 'best iPhone case'. It depends on what catches your eye. Want something a little different? Try a brightly illustrated vinyl GelaSkin. Or hunt around eBay for the elusive Gold Tiger iPhone Steel Skin.
Proporta headphone de-tangler
You won't know that you need one of these simple Proporta cable tidies. Not at first. Not until you've stuffed your pearly-white Apple headphones into your pocket and, when you've retrieved them sometime later, spent five minutes angrily untangling them.
The Proporta Cable Tidy is a simple solution – it's basically a magnetic clasp that can be clamped around the cable of your headphones thereby avoiding any entanglement. You can buy a pack of two online for £3.
Griffin iTrip AutoPilot
Thanks to Griffin, iPhone owners can now legally pipe their favourite music through their car stereo. The new Griffin iTrip AutoPilot is the first, fully-licensed and 'Made for iPhone' FM car transmitter. It uses Apple's 30-pin dock connector, so it's compatible with every iPod from the 4th generation onwards.
Plug the iTrip AutoPilot into your car's power socket/cigarette lighter, tune it into an open FM frequency and your car suddenly becomes a giant set of speakers.
Track-skipping is controlled via the iTrip itself, rather than by fiddling with the iPhone. Built-in RDS technology means that track names from your iPhone's library will be displayed on your car's audio equipment if it's RDS-capable.
"The AutoPilot is a highly functional, if not stunning, piece of kit," says our own TechRadar verdict. You can read the full review here.
Apple Bluetooth headset
The white headphones that ship with Apple's iPhone aren't bad. The recessed headphone jack on the iPhone 2G meant that owners had to buy an adaptor if they wanted to use their favourite earphones.
But if you want to effortlessly answer phone calls while you listen to music (or watch video) then you need a set of buds with a microphone capsule. Or what about a Bluetooth headset?
Apple offers its own lightweight wireless earphone – a jet-black stick with a single button for answering/hanging up calls.
It's a pricey £79 for the whole Apple iPhone Bluetooth Headset package, but that does include a Bluetooth travel cable and the £29 iPhone Dual Dock.
Tactile feedback for your iPhone
Now this may, or may not work... We haven't seen one yet. But My Touch Keys promises to add tactile feedback to the 2G and 3G iPhones.
