[youngjediboy]

I've only seen a small picture so far of the official car dock... but it only seems to show the front of it where the phone goes on. Where does the microUSB plug into on the dock? The back, the side, somewhere else?

I'm a webOS refugee and have pre-ordered the GSII on Wirefly. I'm really looking forward to this phone, but I think I will really miss the Touchstone. I had a Touchstone mounted to my dash for over a year and a half, and I'm afraid it will take some adjusting going back to fiddling with the phone on a mount/holder and having to plug in to charge each time I'm going in and out of the car. I know I sound lazy, but the Touchstone was truly one of the most innovative things that Palm did, and I really wish that there was something else like it for the Android phones!

[romanodog]

True that! I will really miss using my touchstone... How have no other phone companies created something like this yet? I know you can get that energizer charge pad or whatever but it isn't quite the same.

[JayWill]

Why other manufacturers haven't copied the Touchstone car dock is beyond me. That thing is/was pure uncut awesomesauce. Maybe it's a patent issue or something. In the back of my mind, I've been hopeful that Google would buy WebOS from HP simply to implement card based multitasking into Android. Ah one can dream can't he?

[chuckz28]

Pic I saw had a charger built in for it. Slide the phone into the charge port and dock at the same time. Ill need one myself and the wife wants one as well.

[Riboflavin]

go look for the Euro GSII car dock. I believe it is pretty much the same thing. Sound be able to find video reviews.

[romanodog]

You plug the micro usb into the back of the bottom part of the dock. You can see it in this video at 30 seconds in:

[youngjediboy]

Why other manufacturers haven't copied the Touchstone car dock is beyond me. That thing is/was pure uncut awesomesauce. Maybe it's a patent issue or something. In the back of my mind, I've been hopeful that Google would buy WebOS from HP simply to implement card based multitasking into Android. Ah one can dream can't he?

Yeah, that's most likely the case... but seeing how HP has been acting, would they really care or pursue a patent fight like Apple would? I don't think they would bother. Come on Google OEMs, just do it!

[youngjediboy]

You plug the micro usb into the back of the bottom part of the dock. You can see it in this video at 30 seconds in:

Thanks! That video shows it pretty clearly. I don't know if it's worth 50 bucks though... I'll probably just end up getting one of those generic phone mounts.

[thekarens]

Thanks! That video shows it pretty clearly. I don't know if it's worth 50 bucks though... I'll probably just end up getting one of those generic phone mounts.

If you keep a phone at least a year it's worth it IMO. Had one like it for my Evo and I loved it.

[Mikest]

Why other manufacturers haven't copied the Touchstone car dock is beyond me. That thing is/was pure uncut awesomesauce. Maybe it's a patent issue or something. In the back of my mind, I've been hopeful that Google would buy WebOS from HP simply to implement card based multitasking into Android. Ah one can dream can't he?

to be fair as a former Pre owner It should be pointed out the touchstone was never meant to be an automotive accessory. It was Pre users who modified it to work in the car. Finding car chargers that would make it run properly or hard wiring it through inverters, figuring out how to mount it in the vehicle and some folks even adding stronger magnets to make sure the phone sticks to the charger. At this point Im sure HP/Palm has a patent on the touchstone charging but other companies like Powermat also exist so surely it could be copied in some form. As to why it hasn't I haven't a clue. Although the technology did add some bulk to the palm devices that some manufacturers might not be kosher with, especially when they're boasting about having the thinnest devices.

[youngjediboy]

to be fair as a former Pre owner It should be pointed out the touchstone was never meant to be an automotive accessory. It was Pre users who modified it to work in the car. Finding car chargers that would make it run properly or hard wiring it through inverters, figuring out how to mount it in the vehicle and some folks even adding stronger magnets to make sure the phone sticks to the charger. At this point Im sure HP/Palm has a patent on the touchstone charging but other companies like Powermat also exist so surely it could be copied in some form. As to why it hasn't I haven't a clue. Although the technology did add some bulk to the palm devices that some manufacturers might not be kosher with, especially when they're boasting about having the thinnest devices.

Nothing really needed to be modified. The awesome thing about the Touchstone was that it both charged and held your phone in place by magnet. As far as I know, the Powermat and other induction chargers don't have that magnet, plus those are all really big and bulky mats that just won't work in the car. The TS puck was nice and compact. All I had to do was get a cheap phone car mount to clamp onto the TS and have that plugged into the car adapter. Sure if you want it to look more slick you could find a better way to mount the puck to your dash and to hide the wire, but I just drive a Civic and didn't care how it looked. I love that I could just put the phone on and I'm good to go. No messing with wires or clamps or mounts or anything! As far as magnet strength I haven't had much problems either. The only few times the phone came off was when driving on the highway and speeding over a pothole or unusually rough road.

Anyway, HP screwed it all up so we all will just have to adjust now. I'll probably get the GSII official car dock if/when it drops in price.