Best Samsung Captivate cases and accessories

Outfitting your Samsung Captivate i897 with cases and accessories can protect your investment as well as increase its usefulness. The Captivate is AT&T version of the Samsung Galaxy S family of phones and it is one of the best smart phones on the market. Not only does it use the Android operating system, but it has one of the largest displays available along with an FM radio. It is a worthy competitor to the iPhone if AT&T is your carrier. But to get the most out of the Captivate, you should consider buying some of the following cases and accessories.

There are three types of cases for the Captivate. Each has a specific use and the ultimate choice of which is best for your phone depends on your usage and preference.

• Skin cases are think pieces of very thin plastic that adhere directly on the Captivate. They provide scratch protection and are said to be extremely durable. For example, Zagg will back their skin with a lifetime warranty against scratches. In addition, these skins are clear so you can can keep the native look of the Captivate and do not add substantial weight.
• Glove cases are plastic, silicon or metal cases that wrap around the Captivate giving extra protection. Glove cases shelter your phone more than skin cases in that they not only provide scratch protection but also can help if you accidentally drop the phone. Glove cases are also favorites for people who want to personalize their Captivates with their own color or looks.
• A pouch or holster case is used to hold the Captivate when it is not in use. When the phone is in the holster, it protects the phone from accidental drops or abrasions. Because of the Captivate's large size, many generic holster cases will not comfortably hold the phone.

The Captivate has a 4 inch AMOLED screen which is one the brightest available. That means that there are rarely problems reading the Captivate screen in daylight which is uncommon for most cell phones. Most Captivate owners use a screen protector to guard their screens from random scratches. The best Captivate screen protectors are clear ones that do not affect its brightness or color.

The Captivate has a 1500 mAh battery which does not always last through the day of heavy use. The battery life is even worse if the phone is used as a hotspot, playing games or movies. If you have trouble with the battery life of the Captivate, consider getting a replacement battery which can be swapped out if you run out of power.

The Samsung Captivate uses a standard micro-USB port to charge. This means that any standard micro-USB car charger like the ones used by the blackberry phones can be used charge the Captivate. Add a matching dock and you can use your Captivate for turn by turn navigation. Google's maps application is an excellent navigation application, better than many GPS systems.

AT&T sales the Captivate with only a 2GB microSD card which is a very small amount of space for a modern Android phone. Fortunately, the memory card is user replaceable and can be upgraded to up to 32GB of storage. This will allow you to store 16 times more videos and music on the Captivate.