Road warriors’ essential mobile toolkit

You can do amazing stuff via smartphones and tablets, even when not in your office. But to tap their capabilities to the max, you’ll need to pack some peripherals. The following are my picks for what you need for your iOS and Android devices.

An iPad or iPhone is a great presentation device, thanks to the Keynote app and iOS’s video-out and screen mirroring. You’ll need a VGA adapter or HDMI adapter cable — probably one of each. I also recommend Apple’s Keynote Remote app, so your iPhone can remote-control your iPad (or Mac) presentation. If you travel a lot, carry an Apple TV for wireless presentations via HDMI displays, plus Kanex’s ATV Pro VGA adapter.

Some Android devices support video-out, through a MicroHDMI or MHL-enabled MicroUSB port, via an HDMI cable or MHL cable. Samsung has a MicroUSB-to-VGA adapter, as does iKross, as well as a MiniHDMI-to-VGA adapter. Too bad there’s no widely supported Apple TV-like option yet.

The iPhone and Android smartphones have become most people’s digicams, thanks to their quality cameras. But SLRs remain critical for pros and even many amateurs — who like to transfer their photos to smartphones or tablets for image editing or simply to upload to Facebook or Flickr. Consider a phone-mountable SLR like the Sony DSC-QX10.

Some Android devices come with MicroSD slots to make such transfer easy. Otherwise, you’ll need a MicroUSB cable that works with your camera or need a card reader adapter to use various media cards.

For iPhones and iPads, you’ll need an SD or MicroUSB adapter. Apple’s Camera Connection Kit provides both for the Dock Connector. For Lightning devices, Apple offers a separate SD card reader and MicroUSB adapter.

Expand your mobile horizons with these other InfoWorld slideshows:

• 18 must-have Android productivity apps
• The must-have iPad office apps
• The 7 best new features in iOS 7
• The InfoWorld 2013 geek gadget gift guide