Pixi Back Cover: 3.5/5 stars
The Palm Pixi isn’t compatible with the Touchstone wireless charger out of the box. You’ll actually need to purchase a special rear plate for the phone for it to work. Removing the included rear plate was a tad bit difficult. Outfitting the Pixi with the new one Touchstone-enabled back cover took just a few seconds. It’s a bit frightening at first since you’ll have to be a bit forceful, but it fortunately didn’t break. All the buttons work perfectly with the cover on. There’s cutouts for the camera and all other components. While it seems like a “faceplate,” it is actually completely flush and doesn’t feel like an add-on. The rear cover is studded and actually has a better grip than the original case. The device magnetically latches itself to the charging base and stays firmly in position. The flap covering the microUSB port to directly charge the device was quite annoying. It’s nearly impossible for someone with big hands to get the flap open. Even when I did manage to get it open, it was quite firm and would often snap back into place before i could manage to get the cable connected. The tiny magnets that keep the flap shut actually ended up withering off after a few days of use. If you pick one of these up, I’d suggest sticking to using the Touchstone Charging Dock and avoid using the microUSB cable. However that doesn’t mean Palm excused from this issue. It’s a fairly basic design flaw and should be addressed.

Touchstone Charging Dock: 5/5 stars
The simple design of the Touchstone Dock makes using it very easy and convenient. The charger has some weird suction material on the bottom side that keeps it firmly in place. It’s not sticky, but somehow manages to adhere itself strongly enough onto vertical or even upside down surfaces. The unit actually looks quite sharp as well. It’s a bit on the heavy side, but that shouldn’t be an issue since you’ll probably leave it on your desk at all times. The Dock doesn’t come with a AC adapter. It has a microUSB slot on the back. You’ll have to use the AC adapter and cable that came with the phone. It would have been nice to see an additional one included. While it seems as though you can connect the dock to your computer, you apparently shouldn’t. They do make adapters to use the charger in a car. It’s convenient since the dock will adhere to the dash firmly. For the most part the Touchstone met my expectations. Other cell phones manufacturers should take the hint and roll out devices that do the same.

Functionality: 4.5/5 stars
Now the big question: Does this device even work? The Touchstone uses electromagnetic inductive charging to power to devices wirelessly. From what I’ve seen, recharging the Pixi using the Touchstone or a direct USB cable took the same amount of time. However there was one minor annoyance with the Touchstone. I don’t know if my unit was buggy, but it kept disconnecting and reconnecting at random times. It was simply sitting on its own. No one was moving or fiddling with it. Plus, since it has a sound that beeps, it got quite annoying one night. I had to end up manually muting the volume just to avoid having to hear that sound repeatedly. Nonetheless, the phone still gets charged and the convenience makes purchasing the Touchstone justifiable. It actually feels so fun to do that I almost never forgot to charge my phone. How much simpler could it possibly get? Place the phone on the Touchstone and it charges.

Conclusion:
Although the Touchstone isn’t essential. I do definitely recommend it. I’m saying so because I found the flap that covers the charging port on the Pixi to be just too big of a hassle to deal with. Sure, if you can manage to get it open then just stick to your method. However if you are having issues being able to plug it in. Definitely consider this. It would have been neat to see Palm throw this gizmo in along with the Phone, but it might make the phone rather expensive and people would begin to complain about that. If you are ready to pick one of these up it’s available for around $40 on Amazon. It normally sells for an MSRP of $70. The entire idea is a simple convenience that you’ll never be able to give up once having.

Buy: Palm Touchstone Charger | Palm Pixi Back Cover
Link: Palm Touchstone Technology

Special thanks to Powermat (@powermat) for sponsoring our giveaway!

How to enter the contest:

1. Become a Facebook Fan of Skatter Tech
2. Use Facebook Connect to leave a comment below

Some Rules Apply:

• Don’t try to enter more than once. (We have robots!)
• Must live in the United States. 13 and older only.
• Winner is randomly chosen by computer generator.
• Entries close after Thursday 12/03/09 11:59 PM (PST).
• Winner will be announced on this post on 12/04/09.
• Winner has 24 hours to respond to Facebook Message.

That’s pretty much it. If you don’t know what Facebook Connect is, it’s simple. Just click on “FB Connect” next to the comment box and login with your Facebook Account. When you post a comment you’ll see your mugshot and name in the comments! If you do that and become a Fan of Skatter Tech, you’re in!

Update 12/04/09: After throwing the names into Excel and using the Rand function, we finally came up with a winner who had both left a comment and was a Facebook Fan of Skatter Tech.

Congratulations: Arjun Patel!

We hope that you send us a snap of the Powermat in use and tell everyone what you think about it!

Using Powermat is quite easy. There’s only one cable needed to power the Powermat itself. Gadgets can be placed on any of the three magnetic charging spots on the device. It plays a futuristic sound and display an LED indicator to verify that it’s charging. If you begin to get annoyed with the sounds once the “coolness-factor” fades, there are buttons on the back to adjust the volume and indicator brightness level as well. An additional powered USB port has been conveniently added to the back to charge legacy devices that don’t yet have support for the Powermat.

Here’s when it gets tricky. The devices you own just don’t charge on their own if you place them on the Powermat. You’ll first need to place them in special Powermat sleeves. There are a number of receivers offered, however we were provided with three: iPod Touch Sleeve, Nintendo DSi Sleeve, and iPod Dock. Their website reveals sleeves for other devices including popular models of the RIM Blackberry. The Powermat representative we spoke with stated that many more accessories for popular gadgets are on their way.

The first device I tested was the iPod Touch Sleeve. I slipped the iPod Touch into the case and placed it on the Powermat. After the Powermat did it’s thing, played a sound and lit up the LED, the iPod Touch displayed the charging screen after a short delay. The case was actually quite a decent one and seemed like it would do a fairly good job of protecting my device. It did unfortunately have that obtruding portion on the back which is necessary for this technology to function. The case also required that I use a little headset dongle and their own USB cable since neither a standard headphone cable or iPod Connector would reach through the case. Although I didn’t see any negative impact to the performance of WiFi on the iPod Touch, I’m not sure if it would cause any signal issues on the case for the iPhone they are releasing this month. Charging worked perfectly and just about as fast, but the need for a headphone dongle made it seem a bit annoying.

The next receiver I tried was the Powermat iPod Dock. At the moment this is a workaround for charging an iPhone 3GS. However the dock also works with the majority of iPods on the market with a few exceptions. It detected and charged both a 2nd generation iPod Nano and iPod Touch perfectly. It also has an adjustable backrest to adjust for the various sizes of these Apple devices. This accessory also seemed to wirelessly charge a device in just about the same time a traditional wired charger would.

Although we only had a standard Nintendo DS, we were able to borrow a Nintendo DSi to test it’s sleeve device briefly. It snapped on easily and immediately began to charge the device. It does add a bit of bulk and make holding the Nintendo DSi a bit more awkward, but it wasn’t too big of an issue. And it was a lot more convenient to place the DSi on the Powermat rather than having to reach for a cable that is probably tangled up or fallen off a desk.

The final accessory we tested the Powermat with was the included and highly versatile Powercube. This was one of my favorite aspects of the entire product. It’s a simple cube that’s placed on the mat with a cable coming out of it. There are plenty of adapters for devices such as Apple, LG, Samsung, Sony, Nintendo, and mini/micro USB products included. Although its not really making anything more cable free, it’s almost a universal charger for the majority of devices out there. We’ve got plenty of gadgets coming in and out at Skatter Tech and this could probably charge just about all of them. Powermat even includes a little storage box that magnetically attaches to the Powercube to carry around a couple of the adapter tips you use most. While this certainly isn’t as awesome as simply placing your iPod or BlackBerry on the Powermat, it’s definitely a welcome addition.

The Powermat works exactly as advertised. We didn’t face any issues or problems. The version we tested is the “Home and Office” version, but Powermat also offers a foldable portable version for travel. A question that a couple of friends asked was, “Is this safe?”.  After a little investigating, I found that there’s nothing to be concerned about. The device is fairly low voltage and it wouldn’t have been approved for sale if there were potential health risks. It doesn’t damage any other devices placed near or on it either.

So does the Powermat have a catch? Yes, the price. The base unit sells for about $100 alone. Although it includes a Powercube and those set of adapters pictured above, it’s still expensive. Plus, each of the device-specific sleeves sell separately for around $30 each. Sure, if you’ve got the cash to spare, go for it. It works. I loved the simplicity of  not having to plug my devices in, but I don’t necessarily think it’s worth spending that much. Plus this technology has already been natively implemented into devices such as the Palm Pre. Dell even showed off the Latitude Z laptop that charges without cables. This technology is closer than ever and I wouldn’t be surprised if it appeared in a lot more gadgets we use everyday. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of those as early next year during the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show. In the meantime, it might just be best for the rest of us to wait until prices drop or until it becomes a built-in feature of new versions of gadgets that hit the streets.

Buy: Powermat for $99 | Accessories
Related: Powermat Video Demo
Links: Powermat.com

As the name suggests, this product is the portable version of Kensington’s larger Battery Pack and Charger for iPhone and iPod. While the larger version offer a more powerful battery, the unit is almost the size of an iPhone and requires a cable to connect to your device, which is a bit messy. On the other hand, the Mini Battery Back is only about one third the size of its counter part and plugs directly into your devices dock connector. It clings on well enough that you can continue to use your device while it’s getting charged. The unit is roughly the width and thickness of an iPhone but is only two inches tall, small enough to slip away into your pocket or purse. An included plastic cap prevents dust from building up on the dock contacts and also doubles as stand. It is supposedly suppose to be able to hold your device upright to watch a movie, but it’s quite flimsy and I wouldn’t count on it. Irrespective of that small quirk, it doesn’t deter from the quality of the rest of the product. Kensington also includes a USB cable, which winds up itself, for charging the battery pack.

Kensington uses a lithium-ion polymer battery cell in their device. The Mini Battery Pack is compatible with any iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPod with a dock connector. (Except for 3rd generation iPod.) If you are on the go and your device runs out of fuel, the Mini Battery Pack extends run-time for another 30 hours of music, 6 hours of video, or 3 hours of talk time for iPhones. I tested the battery pack by charging my 2nd generation 32GB iPod Touch starting with fully drained batteries. It was able to bring my dead unit back to a full charge with more power left to spare. Plus it impressively took just about the same time it would have taken to charge my device with my computer. An LED indicator displays how much power is left in the Battery Pack. You can charge both the Mini Battery Pack and your iPhone/iPod Touch at the same time using the included USB Cable.

There’s one major downside for iPod Touch owners, the location of the headphone jack. Since both the headphone jack and dock connector are on the bottom, you won’t be able to plug your headphones in while charging the device. iPhone users on the other hand are safe from this flaw since the headphone jack is on the top. Either way, that won’t stop you from playing games, browsing the web, or using the tons of available applications while recharging.

The Kensington Mini Battery Pack is convenient and compact product, which is great for those who are heavy iPhone or iPod Touch users. It’s also great for road trips or planes when there’s no access to a computer with a USB port for charging. iPhone users will love this as it almost doubles the battery life of their device for tasks such as movie playback. Overall, if you are someone who uses your iPhone enough that it keeps running out of power before the day ends or just travels a lot, this is an excellent solution. It’s available for an affordable price of $32.99 on Amazon.

Buy: Kensington Mini Battery Pack for $32
Links: Kensington.com Mini Battery Pack

If you own an Apple iPhone 3G or 3GS you were provided an “Apple USB Power Adapter” in the box. It’s a great little device mainly due to the fact that it’s so small. The charger doesn’t add much bulk to packing and just simply works. It isn’t just for an iPhone, but can also charge most other USB-powered devices. Here’s where my dilemma came in, I wanted a second one so I could charge my iPhone both at work and at home. After spending a minute or two on the online Apple Store to realize that they charge $29, I decided to hold back from purchasing another. If you add tax and basic shipping to the equation, it totals in at just about $36. I felt that was just a bit too expensive for just a USB charger.

I soon came across the Ultra-Mini USB Charger, a third party accessory, that caught my attention. Not only did it look exactly the same in the photos, but it only cost $3 and would be shipped for free. After taking a look into the online retailer, DealExtreme, I decided to take the $3 plunge after deciding it was a fairly reliable site. Everything worked out just fine, I was charged the correct amount and even received the look-alike USB Charger within a week. I was a bit worried to attempt charging my expensive iPhone 3GS, so I tested it on some older USB devices first. After those all charged just fine, I plugged in my iPhone 3GS. It worked no differently then Apple’s $30 charger and took no longer to fully power my iPhone’s battery. What was even more stunning was the design, it was literally identical in terms of size and color. If you held them up to someone, they probably wouldn’t think they were both the same.

If you are looking to replace a broken Apple USB Power Adapter or just purchase an additional one, I highly recommend taking a look at the Ultra-Mini USB Charger. I’ve been using mine for a little under a month and it’s been great. Considering the bottom-line that Apple charges between $30 and $36 depending on whether you buy it online or at their retail store for the same functionality, the Ultra-Mini is great deal. Although I faced no issues, I highly doubt the Ultra-Mini will be put through as much quality testing as Apple’s Charger, so be warned if you run into a faulty one. Nonetheless, if you want to save some cash during this economic downturn, give the Ultra-Mini a shot.

Buy: DealExtreme.com Ultra-Mini USB Charger | Apple USB Power Adapter