10 Tech Accessories You Didn't Know You Needed

This is a list of 10 technology accessories that you might not have heard of, but will make your life easier.

1. Glass Screen Protector

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Remember that time you dropped your phone and the moment it hit the ground you knew you had just lost a couple hundred dollars? Those days are over with. Glass screen protectors work. The next time you drop your phone the screen protector will shatter, but the glass underneath will be as good as new. And they protect your phone's screen while keeping the integrity of its design: no added weight, bulk or decreased screen visibility.

Sure, they are more expensive upfront: three plastic screen protectors can go for 99 cents while one glass screen protector will cost you anywhere between $5 to $20.

Just think of it as phone insurance.

2. Wireless Charger

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Sorry iPhone owners, you will have to wait to use this one. Wireless charging is a rapidly growing technology brought to the mainstream by Nokia. One step closer to science fiction, wireless charging allows you to place your phone on a charging pad instead of having to directly plug into the device. It's great for an office setting, or those times you had a little too much to drink and wake up with a dead phone because you knew plugging your charger in would present a real difficultly. If you have a new Android device, you probably have wireless charging compatibility.

3. Bluetooth Car Kit

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All you need is $35 and a standard headphone jack to give your car full Bluetooth capabilities. Take calls, stream music and listen to directions through your car speakers without even having to plug in your phone. The newer Bluetooth car kits offer high resolution audio and come in a discrete form factor. It is an easy upgrade to an older car, or it might save you an expensive option if you are looking to buy a new one.

4. Streaming Sticks

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Google made a huge wave in the streaming market when they released their Chromecast streaming dongle. It allows you to stream any tab from your Google Chrome browser onto your flat-screen without any wires. Roku, Amazon and a number of smaller companies followed Google's lead, releasing their own streaming sticks. The best part? They cost a fraction of full-sized streaming devices (Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV)

5. External Battery Charger

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The number of phones which support replaceable batteries is decreasing. So how can you make sure your phone's battery does not die on you in the middle of the day? An external battery charger and a USB to micro-USB (or Lightening) connector. These (rather heavy) devices house huge external batteries in a small form factor so you can charge your phone multiple times before having to recharge the external battery.

They range from a few dollars to over $100 based on the features and size of the battery. Some can fit on your key-chain while others are much larger than your phone. The main difference is the number of times you will be able to charge your device before the external battery runs out of juice. But to give you a good idea: a $20 charger will buy you a battery that can charge an iPhone 5s five times before needing to be recharged.

6. Bluetooth Earbuds

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Is was a matter of time before we cut the cord on earbuds. Bluetooth earbuds are getting more capable (and inexpensive) year after year, and are now at a point where they can be recommended without hesitation. Perfect for the gym, Bluetooth earbuds get rid of that pesky cord between your phone and your ears. There is also a strong argument that they double as Bluetooth headsets with most having a microphone to take and receive calls.

There are some limitations. Battery life is generally not higher than 10 hours of use, and music quality is short of true "high-res," but the convenience of wireless remains.

7. Mobile Printers

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Have you ever told yourself you were going to print out photos you had taken with your phone? Chances are they are still stuck in a photo folder deep within your computer. Now you can print photos directly from your phone in a matter of seconds.

Mobile printers are wireless "portable" devices that connect to your phone's Bluetooth or NFC, and print photos directly from your mobile device. No more excuses.

(And yes, the device in the image above is made by Polaroid)

8. Bluetooth Mice

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That's right, a tiny USB dongle is no longer wireless enough. The reason? A vanishing number of ports in laptops. Take the new one-port Macbook for example. If you have a mouse plugged in you cannot even charge the device. Not only do Bluetooth mice not require ports, they are also becoming as capable and reliable as USB or wired mice.

Logitech's beastly MX Master ($100, pictured above) is a great example of a mouse that can do it all while sparing you those all-important ports.

9. Cherry MX Keyboards

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If you are hardcore gamer, or even someone who types a lot, there is no better companion to your Bluetooth mouse than a Cherry MX keyboard. Cherry MX is a switch used in mechanical keyboards, nowadays used mainly by gamers. There are a variety of colors to choose from, all with their own feel and actuation force (the distance the key travels before it is considered a press). These keyboard can be customized to your own personal typing style and often offer a much faster, more relaxing experience. They are recommended for a work setting or home desktop as they require a port and have a rather large footprint. They are also quite expensive.

10. Attachable Smartphone Lens

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Phone cameras are very capable, and are getting better every year. But you can still tell the difference between a dedicated camera and a phone. For one thing, phone cameras do not have optical zoom. They also have tiny sensors.

So Sony created high-end external phone lenses for all of you wanting to get the best out of your phone.

They are bulky, heavy, expensive and downright awkward, but they produce some truly incredible photos.