A case is usually all I have on my smartphone. I have loads of accessories for my iPhone 5 and HTC One, but very few see regular use. Perhaps the only accessory, besides a protective case, that sees the light of day two or three times a week is my Mophie PowerStation battery pack and a secondary one I got a RadioShack. The Mophie is 4000mAh and the one from RadioShack is 2900mAh, I believe, so I'll bring one or both depending on what I'm doing for the day. If I'm leaving town and taking lots of photos and videos, I'm definitely bringing both. But even those can get a little cumbersome. 

I was also considering buying a Lifeproof case for shooting vidoes and photos under water, until I learned that the Atlas case from Incipio is a little better. I'm still trying to decide whether I want to spend $90 for a waterproof case -- it's a lot to spend when I'm probably going to be in the water only a few more times this summer. 

Another accessory I'm considering is a nicer Bluetooth speaker to play music when I'm out at picnics, drunken kick ball games and other outdoor activities. They range dramatically in price depending on what you get, but good ones start at around $80 and are great to have around the house. 

As if it weren't enough that our smartphones can do a million little things on their own, their ability to do more is multiplied by having the right accessories. But at what point do we say enough is enough? I have a number of accessories sitting in a desk or dresser somewhere, and they rarely ever get used. Some never make it out of my apartment. Most of them were review units, but it's all the same to me. How many of you carry a ton of accessories with you everywhere you go?

I find that it gets annoying carrying even spare battery packs around, along with a charging cable or two. You either have to have a jacket or bag or backpack of some kind, because it all gets bulky in your pocket. As for protective cases, the slimmer the profile, the better. I also limit myself to one set of headphones, and that's about it. I used to wear a Bluetooth stereo headset when I'd go to the gym, but the ones I got didn't fit perfectly and would fall off my neck when I'd lie down to bench press or something. 

Do you find that life is easier for you when you have all the right accessories? Or do you forgo all that and just roll with your phone naked? I never get how someone could just charge a phone overnight and go an entire day without having any worries. But then again most folks probably aren't smartphone fanatics and as obsessed as we are about our gadgets.

If you find that you can't live without certain accessories, tell us which ones and why. It doesn't matter if you're rolling with Android, iPhone, BlackBerry or Windows Phone. Share a bit of the knowledge and maybe someone might find good use for the same accessories you're using, too.

Image courtesy of Ars Technica