Touchstone wireless charging on the samsung galaxy s3

[Rockbeast]

Well I just ordered the $20 (plus $15 for shipping) Samsugn Galaxy S3 Pebble Blue back modded to work with the Palm Touchstone. Estimated delivery, between Jan 2 and 15...I'll report back when I get it and try it out. Then when I get the other cases, I'll see whether there are any options that will work on the Touchstone while installed. I don't really expect them to work, but I'll give it a try.

You might ask, why then even get the Touchstone back? Science my dear boy, science! Whilst we breath we should continue to explore! ... or shouldst...I'm not too goode with mine olde English.

[dmklein]

I, too, finally bit the bullet, and went with the Galaxy S3, in no small part due to the possibility of using the touchstone.

As for the protective case, I was thinking that a carefully placed hole in the back of the protective case would allow the touchstone to charge, but maintain most of the extra protection. Might even help position the Galaxy S3 on the touchstone. I was thinking along the lines of the Ballistic SG MAXX, seems like there is enough padding there that a 2 1/8 inch hole would not be a problem. (Yes, I did also order one of the mod g3s backs with the inductive coil.)

The sad thing is, one day now, and I already miss webOS, but then I'm still on the Android learning curve.

[Rockbeast]

Yes, I miss webOS. I have to think about how to navigate between apps...it is better than iOS interface, much more customizable, but webOS was like second nature. I too have a lot to learn about Android Jellybean. I'm having some wifi connectivity issues, mobile hotspot issues...but they are not consistent enough to troubleshoot yet. Oops, getting off topic...

I'm still waiting for my touchstone back...should arrive by Jan 15th. I've been using the Otterbox Defender, very stout but very big. My friends joke that it could be a trick ski! It's that big! It definitely protects the S3. My other 2 cases I ordered are more 'sveldt' but they might not arrive until Feb! They must be taking a slow boat from China (ordered from Hong Kong)...or a slow S3 in an Otterbox Defender case.

[Grabber5.0]

I prefer the commuter series for just that reason - they are much less bulky, but still protect the phone well.

[Rockbeast]

Originally Posted by Grabber5.0

I prefer the commuter series for just that reason - they are much less bulky, but still protect the phone well.

I figured even the commuter would be too thick to allow Touchstone charging, so if I got one Otterbox, I wanted to have the belt clip for rugged use situations since it protects the front as well.

Hey, good news! My Touchstone Capable back came in and my S3 is charging wirelessly on my Touchstone Puck! This is fun! I tried putting just the inner hard shell Otterbox case of the Defender 'system' on my S3, and it would not charge. If I pressed a little bit down on the phone, the wireless charging indicator would beep and come on for a half a second, then disappear, then back on and off...so it is close, but no WEO (an old phrase from Winn-Dixie grocery store ad...means practically the same as "Close, but no cigar").

I will report back when I get other cases to test.

One observation, the S3 does not sit as snugly on the puck as my Pre's did. There are 2 reasons for this I think...hey, 1 observation, 2 reasons...I'm giving back to the community!) First, the S3 back is slightly curved, so the left and right sides are not in full contact with the flat puck surface. I'm thinking about adding a strip of thin foam tape along each side of the puck to give a little stability with a cradle effect (didn't some Pre3 owners do something like this to get a better fit on the original Touchstone pucks?). The second reason is that the back is slick like the original S3 back, while the Pre touchstone capable backs were a little 'grippy'.

[pjcruiser]

I have been using the touchstone back cover for my Samsung Galaxy s3 for about two months now with no problems at all. It has been GREAT to have wireless charging again. I west to the gs3 from a pre 2 and previously a pre+. So needless to say I had an abundance of touchstones everywhere. Home, car, work. The back cover from eBay is perfect. The magnets are stronger enough to hold the gs3 in place even on bumpy roads.

Previous posts:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/ver...ml#post2328278

http://forums.androidcentral.com/ver...ml#post2433922

Hope it helps!

[Rockbeast]

Originally Posted by pjcruiser

I have been using the touchstone back cover for my Samsung Galaxy s3 for about two months now with no problems at all. It has been GREAT to have wireless charging again. I west to the gs3 from a pre 2 and previously a pre+. So needless to say I had an abundance of touchstones everywhere. Home, car, work. The back cover from eBay is perfect. The magnets are stronger enough to hold the gs3 in place even on bumpy roads.

Previous posts:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/ver...ml#post2328278

http://forums.androidcentral.com/ver...ml#post2433922

Hope it helps!

Thanks for the encouragements...I had a similar path as you, Pre+ to Pre2 to the Galaxy S3. I'm not confident that my touchstone could hold onto the S3 in the car. It's a bit wobbly. I can see a little bump on the back of my S3, the induction coil must create just a little thickness there, so it won't sit flush enough. Maybe my idea of thick (foam?) tape on each side of the puck will give a little grippiness as well as stabilize the rocking motion enough to consider using it in a car.

[dmklein]

So my 'new' Galaxy S3 back with the Palm Induction coil came today.

First thing I noticed was how off center it was - (see off_Center_Back.jpg) As I wanted to keep my protective case for the Galaxy S3, this was going to be a problem. Also, I wanted to minimize the interference with the NFC chip that is in the Galaxy S3 battery.

So I moved the coil to a more center line orientation, and lowered it on the phone back.

I went with the Ballistic SG MAXX case. Decided to test the touchstone with the jell part on the phone, and to my pleasant surprise, it worked.

Next I cut a hole in the hard shell of the Ballistic SG MAXX case. (see case_back.jpg)

Now I have the convenience of wireless charging, with a fairly well protected phone in the Ballistic SG MAXX case, Haven't gotten to test the NFC, but I couldn't get the s-beam to work (I guess the coil covered too much of the battery.)

[NuttyBunny]

Originally Posted by redrum0036

this is pretty freakin sweet i want to try this as i'm considering this as my next phone. still debating on this or the nexus

Well, I have a S3 as well, I recently I transplanted the coil from my Pixi TS back cover to it and my Touchstones now share their time between my Pre3 and my S3



The problem with the Nexus is that you have to do some internal soldering, am I right? With the S3 you just put the coil in place, move the connectors and that's it!

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2

[redrum0036]

Originally Posted by NuttyBunny

Well, I have a S3 as well, I recently I transplanted the coil from my Pixi TS back cover to it and my Touchstones now share their time between my Pre3 and my S3



The problem with the Nexus is that you have to do some internal soldering, am I right? With the S3 you just put the coil in place, move the connectors and that's it!

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2

I don't know I just saw this thread and was intrigued. For me it's going to come down to feel in my hand and then I'll worry about mods. I like the Nokia style but 900/920 is too darn big...which the S3may be. I have small hands lol

[bevcraw]

<<Thread moved to "Other Handhelds" forum>>

[NuttyBunny]

Originally Posted by redrum0036

I don't know I just saw this thread and was intrigued. For me it's going to come down to feel in my hand and then I'll worry about mods. I like the Nokia style but 900/920 is too darn big...which the S3may be. I have small hands lol

Give it a try. My hands aren't big either. In fact I feel that the S3 is just in the limit. The Note just feels big and the S3 don't. But you have to feel them and perhaps try and make a call to see if it fits you.

You could try the S3 mini but I don't know if it supports wireless charging.

Sent from my Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk 2

[Rockbeast]

Originally Posted by dmklein

So my 'new' Galaxy S3 back with the Palm Induction coil came today.

First thing I noticed was how off center it was - (see off_Center_Back.jpg) As I wanted to keep my protective case for the Galaxy S3, this was going to be a problem. Also, I wanted to minimize the interference with the NFC chip that is in the Galaxy S3 battery.

So I moved the coil to a more center line orientation, and lowered it on the phone back.

I went with the Ballistic SG MAXX case. Decided to test the touchstone with the jell part on the phone, and to my pleasant surprise, it worked.

Next I cut a hole in the hard shell of the Ballistic SG MAXX case. (see case_back.jpg)

Now I have the convenience of wireless charging, with a fairly well protected phone in the Ballistic SG MAXX case, Haven't gotten to test the NFC, but I couldn't get the s-beam to work (I guess the coil covered too much of the battery.)

This may be what I'm looking for! I think my coil is more centerline, but I don't know about interference with the NFC/S-Beam features...I honestly don't know where those are located so I'd be flying blind trying to move the coil.

As for cutting the hole, how did you get the position just right? Would the phone 'line up' enough when you put it down so you knew? That's something I don't know I could line up properly.

[dmklein]

Originally Posted by Rockbeast

This may be what I'm looking for! I think my coil is more centerline, but I don't know about interference with the NFC/S-Beam features...I honestly don't know where those are located so I'd be flying blind trying to move the coil.

As for cutting the hole, how did you get the position just right? Would the phone 'line up' enough when you put it down so you knew? That's something I don't know I could line up properly.

The NFC chip is on the battery, so the coil will block it. I would seem that I missed with the NFC/Beam - can't make it work. But then again, haven't been able to with my wife's and our Nexus 7, so I don't see it as a big loss.. I wonder if this is why SAMSUNG failed to come thru with their charging system.

In terms of lining things up. First I put masking tape on the outside of the back, tracing around the camera,flash and sensor on the back for landmarks. Placed it on the touchstone as it mounted to the magnets, and traced around the touchstone. Then I stuck the tape on the Ballistic plastic back lining up my landmarks as best as I could. Cut the hole with a jigsaw, sanded it to size with a drum sander.

My wife won't let me try with her phone yet!!

[Rockbeast]

Originally Posted by dmklein

The NFC chip is on the battery, so the coil will block it. I would seem that I missed with the NFC/Beam - can't make it work. But then again, haven't been able to with my wife's and our Nexus 7, so I don't see it as a big loss.. I wonder if this is why SAMSUNG failed to come thru with their charging system.

In terms of lining things up. First I put masking tape on the outside of the back, tracing around the camera,flash and sensor on the back for landmarks. Placed it on the touchstone as it mounted to the magnets, and traced around the touchstone. Then I stuck the tape on the Ballistic plastic back lining up my landmarks as best as I could. Cut the hole with a jigsaw, sanded it to size with a drum sander.

My wife won't let me try with her phone yet!!

Impressive! Maybe after you do about a thousand, your wife will be confident enough to allow you to try!