Palm Pre's wireless charger, the Touchstone
By Paul Miller 
posted January 8th 2009 1:58PM
posted January 8th 2009 1:58PM
Palm just announced its wireless charger for the new Palm Pre, dubbed the Touchstone. No word on whether this is optional or standard, or if it's optional how much it'll go for, but it's certainly great to see a mainstream device get something like this first party.
Update: Palm's website is saying this will be sold separately.
Update: Palm's website is saying this will be sold separately.
incredible. soon, all things will charge wirelessly.
Looks sweet. WHY SPRINT THOUGH?
Because:
iPhone - AT&T
G1 - T-Mobile
Storm - Verizon
Pre - Sprint
And windows mobile has phones with every carrier.
Palm and Rolo team up to bring you the tastiest charger evarrr
especially since it's named the Touchstone
LOL! It does look like a candy. I'm a pretty loyal Windows Mobile user, however what I've seen so far is very impressive and may entice me to switch. We've even started a community over at http://www.SprintPre.net to chat about it.
If you put it screen side down will you get an amazing permanent background? haha.
omg. that is sweet :)
Palm really pulled out all the stops on this one, and for good reason.
I'm stoked about wireless charging, I might just have to see what that's all about.
very very cool. bring on the blackberry/iphone/psp/ds/everything wireless charger
Does this come with the phone?
Cool idea, but how does this work? It's slanted. Wouldn't the phone slide off?
No it's shaped like the bottom on the top too making it an even surface. Definitely fartworthy.
I think it is in use in the bottom left of the photo....maybe??
if so it hasn't fallen off yet
no it is magnetized. there is a special magnetic battery cover (presumably that comes with the charger...hopefully) that keeps it in place.
additionally, if you get a call while it is charging, just pick up the phone and it will automatically answer the call....once its placed back on the charger it resumes charging automatically
Magnetic? I guess that means no magnetic/digital compass on the phone.
Doubt it comes with the phone though...can it still USB charge?
I hope this comes with the phone, not a "$200 optional accessory". If it does come with the phone, they really have something amazing at this announcement.
does it come with cancer? or does that come later?
it uh.. yes, it does come with cancer.
Testicular or brain?
extra crispy.
You are all terrible people.
Palm hit the Jackpot with the new OS ....very slick .....and with the wireless charger .........awesome twosome
Sprint is the only Fail of this device, its pretty much a win every other way. Offer it on VZ and you have my money Palm
Yes, offer it on VZW so we can have all the cool features stripped and so we can get gouged with their ridiculous data plans. Yes, that would be fantastic!
Agreed, this phone looks amazing and completely surprised me. I too would like to see it on Verizon, although now that they're requiring a data plan with all smartphones it might be better to just switch to Sprint and just use Wifi.
Why anyone would want to cripple a smartphone by not getting a data plan is beyond me. The entire point is that you are always connected to a variety of services (maps, web, streaming media, etc.) Sprint's data plan is a reasonable $15/month for unlimited 3G. If you can't handle that then maybe a smartphone is not the best option. My Sprint bill is $55 per month with a small amount of daytime minutes (never talk on the phone during the work day), unlimited night and weekend, text, and unlimited 3G data. I'm sure other people might talk more on their phones during the day but so what? Add another $10 or get an all-inclusive plan if you live on your phone. No reason to shell out $200-300 for a smartphone that only works in the house/office.
Sprint CS suxx
http://www.engadget.com/2008/10/20/sprints-csr-response-time-skyrockets-to-first-in-recent-survey/
Well thats what happens when they boot off everyone within the first 30 seconds and go onto to take another call .....
This is great innovation and push towards the future...but it's SAD to see Palm and other Corp(es) * Ahem* only turning to innovation to save their company and plummeting stock. It saved Motorola as did Apple
WYRELESS CHARGING IZ HEER!
cuz Sprints gonna pwn the mobile broadband in the next 5yrs
Probably magnetic - just pop the phone on the surface and it's not only at the correct angle for viewing (at either orientation), but you just 'grab and go' when leaving your desk. Got to hand it to Palm, this new phone and the charger are their first real innovations since the original Palm Pilot. It is not really the features of the phone (nothing really new - my Nokia E71 has similar features - minus touch), but the fact it is based on a Web OS, that as we all know, is the future.
While Android offers huge potential, (we're developers), customers / consumers don't walk into a shop to purchase 'the future'. They purchase 'the now'. And the 'now' is what 'it' does out of the box the second their leave the shop.
The single threat to Palm is what I am convinced Apple are / should be developing. Namely, an iPhone Nano with a similar slide out mini QWERTY keyboard. All for $99.
Your E71 already HAS a web-based OS.
OSS Browser is the BEST in the business: Supporting html/xhtml/chtml/xml/css/java/javascript/flash lite 3.0;
Not even Safari on the iPhone can do that. Plus its an OS that supports C+/C++/Carbide at its core/Open C/ Ruby/Python (PyS60).
You need to find out MORE of what Nokia's S60 offers and WHY its had the WORLDS largest user base of ANY OS for SOO long. In the USA its hardly known. And I doubt FaceBook mobile was around in 2006.
Ooh, look! Tesla technology. The 21st Century revisits the 19th....
;-)
I'm not so stoked about it. On the face of it, it seems cool, but since you need magnets and since the base shouldn't stick to the phone when you lift it, it will be heavier and therefore more expensive in shipping.
On top of that, what does this improve? Other phones with docks have 0 insertion and removal force, it will just improve "docking" time marginally.
Finally, how does it sync with your computer? Is everything over WiFi? I can live with that :-)
I do hope USB charging is still possible.
So YOUR reasoning is that it's bad because of marginally more expensive shipping?
OH NOEZ!!!!1111 $1 dollar more shipping!!!!1111111
The charger will have some kind of sticky bottom... I can't remember if it has mini suction cups and sticky vinyl or what. It has been said that it is designed light for shipping. The benefit to this charger is that you can have the phone in portrait or landscape for viewing. The mangnets will automatically align and of course, while the charger is optional, there will be port for USB charging.
will it work in the shower?
umm, no
What happens when I have 2 phones and one charger ?
You charge one at a time?
The other you can put wherever it pleases you most.
the same thing you two with two phones and 1 wired charger...
lol i meant do instead of two
The same thing that happens when you have 2 girls and one cup..
That is a really stupid questions...
My toothbrush uses this " technology" for years. But it's really nice though.
Wish this came in a more convenient form factor, like a mat. But that's probably asking too much ;)