This thing is cool and does almost exactly what you would think. A couple items you may not be able to tell from the pic:
Good's:
- Back has an optional peel off plastic that makes it sticky. I originally stuck the touchstone on a dresser then later re-stuck it vertically to the side of my computer desk - 1 year down and it has not fallen. It is probably secure, but I would be nervous if there wasn't carpet on the floor. **See Edit Below**
- Charge is fast. Under 2 hours gets it from dead to full. Hopefully it isn't too hard on the battery since it isn't a trickle charge.
- It feels & looks awesome. There is a reason sprint retail stores sell these at $[...] a pop.
Bad's:
- Makes a very quiet buzz, I do not suggest charging near your head while asleep!! On multiple occasions I woke up at 1am wondering what was making that strange noise. If you have ambient sound, or if your touchstone is more than ~5 feet away, you won't notice. If not, expect an almost inaudible but still terribly annoying "mmzzzzpmf... mmzzzpmf" every 2 seconds.
- No cord! The Touchstone needs to be plugged into the wall (computer won't work) with this cord & 120v adapter, which was included with your Pre: New Sprint Palm PRE Original Smart Phone AC USB Wall Adapter + Original Palm PRE Charging USB 2.0 Data Cable. Problem is if you connect Pre to computer on a regular basis you have to unplug touchstone cord to do it (which becomes a pain). I ordered one like this to leave with my computer: Palm PRE Charging USB 2.0 Data Cable for your Phone! This professional grade custom cable outperforms the original!.
- For vertical users (like me), it would be nice if the magnet was a bit stronger or somehow aligned better internally. Instead of being able to haphazardly no-look slap the Pre on, one has to look, align, and slowly let go.
- Screen stays on (showing time) so if you have it near your bed you may want to find an app that turns it off. It doesn't bother me on the opposite corner of a 12' room. Actually an app that makes the time/light yellow or blue instead of white would be the best for sleeping but I don't think one exists.
PS - Amazon has the Touchstone Kit and plain Touchstone for sale. You are currently looking at the Kit, but don't be surprised if you see the plain Touchstone for less $$. You have to buy the kit first (it includes the replacement back for your Pre). The plain Touchstone is only for users that want an additional Touchstone. EDIT- The Palm Pre Plus apparently comes with the touchstone back by default. If you have the Palm Pre Plus then you should save money buy the plain touchstone, not this kit!!!
**EDIT - Before purchasing I suggest looking at all the reviews on here & sorting by newest first. There are a couple people saying the Touchstone now comes with the adapter cable. Palm Touchstone Kit for Palm Pre
When I first found out about the Palm Pre, I was already very excited about the Touchstone charging kit, so as soon as I was able to buy it on sale, I ordered it. Overall the Touchstone kit continues the great style and physical design of Palm Pre.
1. It is sleek, minimalistic.
2. It uses your Pre's charge cable, so you better still have it. (E.g. you cannot order this kit as a replacement if you lost your original cable.) Nonetheless, it helps reduce environmental waste by not including extra cables.
3. It works great. Instead of prying open the USB cable slot cover on the Pre every night (as the Pre's charge only lasts for about a day), you can simply place your Pre on the charger stone.
On the other hand, there is a serious design flaw with the Touchstone charging process. And I am not talking about you having to force off the back plate to replace it with the new Touchstone back plate. My biggest and only issue with the charging process, is that it forces the backlight on while your Pre is charging. I guess the idea was to show the clock at night. However, the Pre's backlight (even dimmed) is enough to light up the night sky. Besides, it wastes energy. I hope that Palm will introduce an option to turn this backlight off during charging.
I bought this kit for my wife. She found the touchstone quite cool. The touchstone kit allows you to charge the Palm Pre without the annoying process of removing the micro-usb cover to insert the micro-usb charging cable into the phone.
The kit comes with the phone back panel and one dock (hockey puck). The dock has a reusable sticky surface on the bottom to hold it firmly onto your desk.
You connect the dock to AC power via a micro-USB cable. The kit does not include the micro-usb cable or the AC adapter - these come with your phone. The instructions state that you should not connect the touchstone dock to a computer via USB; I think the average computer USB port may not deliver sufficient electrical current.
The next question is, do you want to buy additional docks to charge your phone at the office or in the car? You can order an additional dock separately. If so, you may also need to buy an additional the micro-usb cable and AC power adapter (or car charger). - Accessories - Charger - Touchstone - Palm Pre Charger'
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