- Provides a handy way to keep your Pre charged
- Easy to use
- Attractive, streamlined design
- Not truly wireless
- Somewhat expensive
- The Touchstone Charging Kit provides a handy way to keep your Pre charged, while still allowing you to use the phone.
- The Touchstone requires that you use a magnetized back cover on your Pre; it's included with the Touchstone kit.
- The Touchstone plugs into a power outlet, and then you simply place your Pre on the dock to charge it.
The Palm Pre smartphone has many strong points, but battery life is not one of them. That's why you'll want the Pre's Touchstone charging kit, a $70 accessory that wirelessly charges the phone.
The Touchstone itself is a small, circular device that serves as the charger. To use it, you need a special Touchstone back cover for your Pre (included with the kit); both that cover and the Touchstone contain magnets that hold the phone in place when it's on the dock. The magnets are needed because the Touchstone holds the Pre at a slight angle, allowing you to see the screen -- and therefore use the phone -- when it's on the dock.
The Touchstone charging kit isn't entirely wireless; it does need to be plugged in to a power outlet. (You do this by connecting it to the charger that came with your Pre smartphone.) The bottom of the Touchstone has a sticky coating that allows it to stay securely in place. When your Pre needs charging, you simply place the phone on the Touchstone. The magnets in the cover and the Touchstone guide the positioning of the phone; if you slide it slightly, you'll feel it fall into place.
And that's it: You leave the Pre on the Touchstone as long as it needs charging. If a call comes in, you can pick up the phone and answer it. If you want to check your e-mail or browse the Web, you can do that all while the Pre is sitting on the Touchstone.
$70 isn't cheap, especially when you consider that you've already paid $200 for the Pre -- and it comes with its own charger. But the Touchstone is a slick, smart way to get the most of your Pre while keeping it powered up.
