We've got this image burned in our brains of the
Pre as this slick, black, streamlined, ultra-glossy pebble of a phone, and by and large, that's an accurate image -- unless you spring for the
Touchstone. The inductive charging accessory -- which seems like an almost automatic purchase for any Pre buyer with a single geeky bone in their body -- needs magnets in the Pre to hold it in place when it's attached, but it turns out that the standard glossy battery cover doesn't have those magnets. Instead, the Touchstone will include a replacement cover that has the magnets and loses the gloss for a stickier matte soft-touch surface, ostensibly to help secure the phone against the charger's slanted top. For some, the soft-touch is going to be perceived as an upgrade -- but others are undoubtedly going to be bummed that they won't be able to see their own reflection against the shiny Palm logo dead center. What's more, if you want the matte without the Touchstone, you're out of luck (at launch, anyway) -- it won't be available separately. Whatever; it's not like you weren't planning on getting this thing
Colorwared anyway.
posted Feb 19th 2009 6:16AM
The narcissits can still admire themselves in the mirror behind the slider.
Yup. Plus wasn't this revealed at CES? I distinctly remember one of the videos where a Palm rep said the Touchstone required an inductive-charging back.
Glossy, matte..... It's the back of the phone. Matte seems like it would feel nice to hold, like the Logitech G9.
As long as it's the Pre it doesn't matter to me!
Also Matte means no fingerprints, thats a big +.
I prefer the matte soft touch surface...especially if it is anything like the Treo 755p. I am going to gladly give up my 1st gen iPhone when I can buy an unlocked GSM model.
Hooray to magnets!
IMO
The matte finish is nicer.
You can hold it easier and it isn't a fingerprint magnet.
Agreed!
agree!!!!
The speaker ruins the look of the back anyway.
GOOD! I'm positively sick of "glossy everything" anyway.
Make the whole thing matte, I say.
Gimme brushed metal any day.
Glossy crap, the door's that way.
Word, matte is the way to go, especially for plastics. I love the feel of that slightly grippy, slightly rubberized back on some phones.
THIS. Yes shinny stuff looks spiffy, but it's a RPITA to keep clean and it always has smudges all over it. Just a few minutes ago I unboxed a couple of demo units of HP's latest thinclients; much to my dismay the cases are frikin glossy and already have my fingerprints all over them from unboxing. These stupid things are going to live behind a monitor, out of sight, and are going to collect dust. Who cares if they're glossy. Let's not forget how slipper the gloss is too. My best friend set his iPhone on his leg for just a moment and the thing slid right off, hit the ground, and cracked that damn glass screen.
Back on topic: I'm glad the inductive charging will replace that glossy, slip off of everything and break mess.
Exactly!!! Could not agree more!!! Agree with every single line!!!
Inductive charging is a great technology and undoubtedly convenient, but is there any word on how power efficient it is, say, compared to a regular plug? My fear is that it is potentially wasteful of energy and a backward step given the emphasis now on tech being kinder to the environment.
On the facebook thread where there was the question and answer thing with palm, they mentioned that it is just as power efficient as a regular plug.
DIE, GLOSSY, DIE ALREADY!!! I am so sick of glossy Displays, glossy keyboars, glossy phones. Fingerprints everywhere and unusable in the sunlight... I am happy I can have the matte one on the Pre!
Yeah, but when matte is getting back that'll mean that we'll probably get the same crap plastic like we had several years ago.
No, brushed metal is the way!
What is this "sunlight" you speak of?
will the magnets ruin the magnetic strips on credit cards and ATM cards?
my purse and phone are usually in close proximity to each other...
Based on Mythbusters, they won't.
Aren't magnetic strips on their way out anyway?
No, the magnets are most definitely not strong enough.
As seen on Mythbusters, magnets will not ruin any magnetic strip devices unless you have a super-electro-magnet in your purse with a large battery powering it.
I'm not really worried about the magnets. There is no doubt that a magnet could mess with a credit card, but I've been using a magnetized wallet (money clip) for years, and I've never had a problem with credit card data being lost.
Check it out, there's more about it here http://palmprefix.com/2009/02/19/will-the-palm-pre-eat-my-credit-cards/
Without actually testing, though, the topic is still up in the air. I do hope that Palm will do a couple tests.
Soft touch plastics are nice, this thing will be like a big brother to my old Motorola PEBL. Most underrated phone ever imho
I think that the glossy finish would get scratched useless from being put into the charger all the time anyway. Sensible move on their part.
I like the matte finish better.
i think the matte looks better aswell
Matte is the Anti-Apple. :P
The Consensus appears to be Matte is better than gloss. The glossy finish cracks all the time anyway.
glossy is so 2003.....everything should be matte finish..including cars. maybe not mirrors....whatever.
I'm surprised they are the same size, I assumed the induction coils would take up some amount of space. Is the same capacity battery used in either version?
solution: invisible shield. glossy and no fingerprints.
Engadget your website sucks. I can't edit my profile because your stupid profile page won't let me login using my password.
Definitely an upgrade.
Awesome. Matte finish = no palm prints (hah!) all over the back from just holding it. I'm going to be neurotic enough about keeping the front clean.
Am I the only person that doesn't care about inductive charging? How is that any more convenient than putting a phone in a cradle?
No you're not the only one
I think this is a waste of stuff... Just like short-range-intended wireless video transmission and wireless keyboards (maybe for an HTPC, but on desktop computers it's a sheer waste of RF spectrum, and a security hole)
Wake me up when you can wirelessly charge it from 3 meters away and with decent efficiency, then I'll be impressed
Why does it look like the back of the iPhone 3G?
Oh wait, that's right, Palm can't innovate, so they just immitate.
WoW...
Looks like your Mac's spell-checker needs updating.
Yay!!
And does the matte one look thinner than the glossy one? Or is it just the reflectiness that's throwing me off?
It's the reflections.... Look at it carefully
I fell for it at first glance too
I want one of those monitors!
You Apple folks can keep your glossy, finger print magnet, scratch inviting finishes. I'll take the matte.
I doubt anyone sees this as a problem.... but it happened to make it to Engadget.
I would take the matte over the glossy even without the Touchstone. If I can afford it, I'm definitely getting it.
Imagine that hockey puck fitted nicely into a car! No more "leg driving" trying to charge your phone!!