Five Kindle Fire HD accessories you shouldn't live without

No tablet experience is complete without a few accessories; the Kindle Fire HD is no exception. While it works great right out of the box, there are a few things you can buy to make your Kindle experience even better.

Find a good cover

The first thing you’ll need to invest in for your Kindle is a durable cover. I prefer the magnetic covers that turn the Kindle on when you open the cover and off when you shut it. This helps preserve and extend battery life. Trust me; I went two weeks without one and had battery issues the whole time. I also noticed that the cover reduces start up time as compared to no cover when waking up from sleep mode.

Charge it

Speaking of battery life, you’ll hate yourself if you don’t get a fast charger. OK, that’s an exaggeration, but you will mentally kick yourself for not getting one when the TV is spoken for, someone’s using your computer and you've decided to do some reading only to realize your battery is dead. It takes up to eight hours to charge the Kindle Fire HD by connecting it to a computer. Do you want to wait eight hours to read or watch a movie? Didn't think so. The USB cable that comes with the Kindle can be plugged into your iPhone charger, too, making that a speedier option than charging it from your computer.

Fingerprints everywhere

Stylus pens aren't necessary for the Kindle, but they’re useful. I've found my stylus useful for taking notes, highlighting in my eBooks and completing crosswords. It’s also the only way to avoid those nasty fingerprints all over your screen. Fingerprints may not bother some, but I find them highly distracting. There’s little need for an expensive stylus; most of them work well. Because I use my Kindle Fire HD to take notes, though, I use a fine tip stylus to make writing easier.

Speaking of fingerprints

Even if you use a stylus, you’ll probably end up with fingerprints on your screen. This is especially likely if you have children. Soft cloths are best for wiping the screens down. Microfiber cleaning cloths are an excellent choice. No matter what you use, just make sure the fabric isn't rough; rubbing a rough or heavy fabric across the screen may scratch it.

Earbuds or Headphones

While the Kindle Fire HD’s sound quality is excellent, not everyone wants to listen to your music, movies or TV shows. Earbuds are a smart choice if you take your Kindle on the go often. I personally prefer the comfort of headphones, though. I have these, which perform surprisingly well for the price.

What are your must-have tablet accessories?

Image courtesy of Amazon.com.