PHONES N CELLPHONES

Review by Shawn Hansen:

This cover was frighteningly delicate, and it basically exploded in my hands when I tried to "snap" it on. I didn't even bother to ask for a replacement or follow up on it as it was obviously so poorly designed a new one wouldn't have helped.

This is definitely an example of getting what one pays for.

Review by A. Misner:

Cord is pretty much a standard cord. It works with the Palm wall adapter and when charging your Pre from a USB port. But the cord/plastic around the micro-USB plug-in is too large to fit into the Touchstone. So basically this cable works great, just doesn't work with the Touchstone.

Review by David Zhang:

The micro-usb plug is too thick to fit into the touchstone charging dock. If you don't have the touchstone then this works.

Review by Dubbu2:

I am returning this today! I bought this product for my sister's new Palm Pre, but the cover blocks something she calls the "gesture area" which doesn't allow her to utilize the swiping of the fingers function of the phone. Too bad because she loves how pretty the color of the the case is and it has a nice feel, but functionality tops design.

Review by D. Bozeman:

I might as well have a regular phone if I can't use any of my features!

Review by Will Pattison:

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 - 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.

Review by DCGeek1:

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).

Review by J. Willbanks:

I purchased this cable and wall adapter to use with an additional Touchstone for my Palm Pre. It's a little more expensive than some of the USB cables out there, but there are so many mixed reviews on them working with the Touchstone that I figured it was a safer bet. I was pleased when it arrived that the cable is not like the one pictured, but it is identical to the cable included with the Pre (minus the attached rubber cable tie). It fits right into the Touchstone with no alterations needed (I've read some reviews where the plastic had to be shaved off to fit). After plugging into the wall adapter it was good to go and charging perfectly!

Review by M. Cordoba:

I just wanted to make it clear to people that this is an identical item (both the usb cable AND the wall charger piece) to the one that comes with the Pre.

It has the same distinctive palm branded circle, heavy duty cable, and even the little plastic thing that holds the cable together.

Things to know:

- The box is OEM not retail. Which means that packaging is less than impressive. (vibe cellular vendor)

- Works and looks just like the original, and hence it's touchstone compatible.

- I tried one knock off charger, and it would randomly not charge. So I would not recommend that route, especially given the price (around ) you can get the real one for.

- keep one at home and one at work.

Review by DCGeek1:

This dock (hockey puck) is great if you want to add a second location (office/car) to charge your touchstone-enabled Palm Pre.

If you have not yet bought any touchstone stuff, then do not buy this. You should first buy the touchstone kit Palm Pre Touchstone Kit which includes the back panel and one dock.

The confusing thing for many is powering the puck, as this dock does NOT include any cables.

The instructions state that you should not connect this dock to the USB port on your computer. The dock should be connected to an A/C power source; I hear a car charger works, as well. If you plan to buy this as a second charging location, then you're already using the cables/AC that came with your phone for your first dock. So after you buy this dock, you'll also need to buy either (a) a car charging kit or (b) a micro-USB cable and AC adapter to power this second dock.

Review by T. Christmas:

The touchstone is great, but as others have written, know that this one doesn't come with the magnetic Pre back cover (which is needed to charge the phone) or a charger or a charger cable. You need these separately, either taken from your primary setup or bought separately.

What hasn't been mentioned already is NOT EVERY USB charger will work with Touchstone. Only certain chargers provide enough "juice" and only certain cables actually fit the microUSB slot.

Check forums like PreCentral d o t net for a list of compatible adapters.

As a device, it's wonderful, just know what you're getting.

Review by J. Harris:

This Palm charging cord will provide enough current to power the Touchstone charging dock in your vehicle. I initially tried this with a (top quality) Motorola micro USB car cord, and the charging cycled on and off continually (like every second!!!). There is a difference between cords, apparently, and the Touchstone system does require a higher current flow. I know that there are other cords that advertise high rate charging, but I haven't tried any of them yet.

Review by CAM:

I originally bought a Sprint-branded car charger, but its light started blinking erratically after a few charges, so I returned that and got this charger instead. This one works as advertised. The removable USB cable comes in handy when the battery is running low at work, and is a must-have if you're streaming Pandora or otherwise using the phone a lot. As for the charger, it's nice and compact. I've also noticed that it runs a lot cooler than the Sprint-branded one.

One teeny complaint is that the USB cable is rather short, so if you're plugging it into a desktop that's sitting on the floor, you may have trouble placing the phone on the table.

Review by Jufon:

FYI: this only covers the front. very easy to install just make sure to remove the battery, wash your hands and clean the screen very well; use a micro fiber cloth or one of those used on glasses. As you peel the shield from its card, spray the "sticky" side with the included spray while removing it. Do not spray the phone! Position the shield into the phone gently; if you won't slide around, lift the shield and spray it again. Ensure you keep the "sticky side towards the phone. One you have it aligned, start to gently press it into place; this will hold it place. Then, using the included squeegee, start from the center and work towards the edges, smooth it out. No need to apply a great deal of pressure. Any tiny bubbles will disappear in a day or two. Also, you may notice a slight glare when looking at the screen right after installation and turning it on; this too will disappear in a day or so. You'll also need to place the phone on a lint free cloth to collect the water as you squeegee it out.

Review by M. Snow:

When I purchased my Palm Pre, I bought the Invishield. It was difficult to put on: I had to cut the cover to fit the phone, the smoother applicator that they give you skids across the screen and ends up not taking all the bubbles out as it's supposed to. The feel of it after it was on was strange as well. After less than 2 months of use, it ended up coming up at the edges and no longer sticking. The Skinomi was a painless application. It automatically had holes to fit the Palm Pre exactly. The application was super easy and you could actually position it while it was drying. The feel of it is solid and sturdy. And you can't even tell that it's on - no bubbles, no surface blemishes at all. if you have a Palm Pre - you need this.

Review by Piquant Delight:

I purchased this because I started getting tiny scratches all over my Pre. I figured the price listed sure beats anything the Sprint store had to offer and if it didn't work then I'd purchase the case offered by another manufacturer on Amazon (NOT the .99 case from the Sprint store). When the product arrived I thought it looked pretty cheap and probably wouldn't do the job, however I was pleasantly surprised. It fit my Pre perfectly!!! It has a nice snug fit and protects everthing except the screen. Despite the photo (the seller really needs to change that and I'm sure more people would purchase), it does NOT cover the gesture area. The case fits around the Pre like a frame leaving all areas that need to be open free from covering yet protects the Pre from tiny dings and scratches from laying it on hard surfaces or if you're like me, I always drop it in my purse and my keys and various other sharp items in my handbag were scratching the phone. Now, I just need to find a decent screen protector that won't impair the touchscreen utility.

Review by C. Brown:

There's a lot of conflicting information here. Reviewer M.Webb is correct. The photo included (with the case covering the gesture area) is not the correct photo of the product. This case DOES NOT cover the gesture area of the phone. The top (screen) portion of the case simply "frames" the front part of the phone w/o covering it. It in no way prevents any functionality of the Pre.

Besides this, the case has a nice feeling in the hand. The phone is a lot less "slick" to hold on to. It also looks quite attrative on the Pre and is not too bulky.

Review by M. Mullins:

As frugal as I am, it was hard to order this case after seeing all the other "cheaper" options. I did my research though and everone said get this one, even though I hadn't seen it in person. After receiving my Seidio case two days ago though, I say it's absolutely worth the money. The feel of it is hard to describe. It's a rubberish feeling semi-hard silicon? It has the same feel of the back cover for the Touchstone, if you've seen it.

The best thing I can say about it, and the ultimate reason to get the Seidio is that once you snap it on, it feels like it's part of the phone. I used to work in a phone store and always hated all the aftermarket cases because they felt like you stuck a cheap piece of plastic or rubber on your nice elegant phone. Not this one, it's like they were made for each other.

I had the Rocketfish one from Best Buy for the last month and even though they look the same in pictures, let me tell you, the Seidio is 10 times better. The rocketfish is a cheap hard plastic, that hinders your buttons and feels like it doubles the size of the phone.

The only bad thing I can say is that since it's a thinner case, it may not protect the phone as well as one of the other thicker cases if you drop it. However, imo, that trade-off in adding the bulk and clumsiness of a thicker case is not worth that little extra protection.

Review by Shawn P. Nix:

The case itself fit well and was easy to put on. It should protect agents small drops as it is a thin case. The main reason I bought this case was that it promotes that it works with the Touchstone. When I went to use it I found that the case was thick enough that it would start to charge but disconnect and then reconnect over and over and yes I did not add the extra padding that came with the case as it says it will prevent it from working with the Touchstone. I have three Touchstones and it did the same thing on all of them. I did find if you place it just right on the Touchstone it may work but it would just be easier to attach the USB cable instead. In conclusion not a bad case but don't count on playing well with your Touchstone.

Review by M. Broderick:

The product is what it says it is. It adds significantly to the battery life--Seidio claims 90% more. I haven't even attempted any scientific test, but it has changed me from having my Pre typically at 10-20% of battery life remaining at the end of the workday to having about 50%. Substantial improvement!

For me, almost as important as the battery life is the coating on the outside of the replacement battery cover provided. One of the things I disliked greatly about the Pre is that the sleek and shiny surface of the case makes me live in constant fear I'll drop the thing. The added bulk of this battery means that it needs more room than in the factory case, so when Seidio provided a new roomier battery cover, it coated it with a soft, slightly grippy substance that makes me feel a LOT more comfortable with my Pre! I like this a lot. If you have handled a Treo 755p (and presumably other late-model Treos) the coating is similar to the grippy stuff on those phones. This is a worthwhile upgrade in itself! It has a more matte appearance compared to the shiny surface of the original case, and if you are highly sensitive to appearances, you may dislike the mismatch between the top case around the screen and the bottom case with the coating. Doesn't bother me at all, though.

The downsides are minor for me, but I am one of those who is hung up on function over form. Shifting to this battery and battery cover means your Pre will bulk up quite a bit! It is much thicker, and I've seen others compare the new form factor to a hockey puck. I'd prefer the Pre be smaller and thinner, but it doesn't bother me that much. With the bigger battery installed, my Pre is about the same size as my old Treo 755p--A tiny bit thicker and definitely not as "tall" in the longest dimension. As of now, I know of no battery case that is designed to fit this combination. Presumably Seidio will provide one soon, and you can probably locate one that works by trying out cases designed for larger phones, but I am carrying my Pre in my pants pocket "bareback" for now.

For me, this was an excellent upgrade.

Review by Photoguy:

I would have rated this combination higher, except that it turns the Pre into a real clunky instrument. I think it is even thicker than my old Palm Treo 700P. It is great to have the extra capacity, but I think a little trade off between capacity and bulk would have been better. I had to order a new case becuase it would not come close to fitting my original Palm Pre horizontal case. One thing I do like a lot is the easier grip the textured back provides. Knowing what I know now, I would still buy it, but I am a little disappointed by the bulk.