Wireless Charging on S3

[pjcruiser]

I bought a new back cover with the wireless charging in the back. It's the one from Ebay, see Android Central. So far so good. I am coming to android from palm/hp webos and have touchstones everywhere. This should be awesome!

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[Reciprocal]

So it works with a TouchStone? I happen to have one sitting on my desk from an HP Veer my friend didnt want anymore. Can you confirm if the magnets on the touchstone hold the S3?

 

[mikesmith]

Do you have a link to the back cover you bought? Thanks.

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[pjcruiser]

So it works with a TouchStone? I happen to have one sitting on my desk from an HP Veer my friend didnt want anymore. Can you confirm if the magnets on the touchstone hold the S3?

Yes. The magnets do hold the s3 onto the touchstone

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[pjcruiser]

Do you have a link to the back cover you bought? Thanks.

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https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...Ditem.view%26id%3D150938457715&token=RJ5M0_pI

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[mikesmith]

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...Ditem.view%26id%3D150938457715&token=RRGc0_jZ

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Thanks.

Do you know if it works through a TPU case?

 

[pjcruiser]

Sorry, I do not have one to try. It does not work through either OtterBox case. Only naked gs3. Also new back cover is tighter to install, less roomy in the back.

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[pjcruiser]

Here is a link to the article.

www.technologytell.com/gadgets/105865/samsung-galaxy-s-3-wireless-charger-palm-touchstone/
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[charlier180]

Sorry, I do not have one to try. It does not work through either OtterBox case. Only naked gs3. Also new back cover is tighter to install, less roomy in the back.

Hopefully some other wireless charging options will support use of the technology with the OtterBox cases.
Then maybe owners like myself and others who want the technology and will not give up the OB case will get what we are looking for.

Should be interesting to see what the Samsung wireless solution brings to the table.
Samsung Galaxy S3 Wireless Charger Enters Into Production

At least the Samsung solution is 40% thinner according to the above article so it might fit inside the OB cases.

 

[Rockbeast]

Sorry, I do not have one to try. It does not work through either OtterBox case. Only naked gs3. Also new back cover is tighter to install, less roomy in the back.

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Has anyone tried using a Palm Touchstone with this ebay purchased wireless charging back on their S3 WITH any kind of case and have it work? I'm wondering if some of the very thin (1mm) grippy covers might still allow the charging to take place. I have a Pre2 and formerly a Pre+ and I recall reading that there were a few of the very thin cases/covers that still allowed the use of the Touchstone.

 

[Bert336]

Has anyone tried using a Palm Touchstone with this ebay purchased wireless charging back on their S3 WITH any kind of case and have it work? I'm wondering if some of the very thin (1mm) grippy covers might still allow the charging to take place. I have a Pre2 and formerly a Pre+ and I recall reading that there were a few of the very thin cases/covers that still allowed the use of the Touchstone.

I tried it with 3 different cases, and it does not work.. magnets are not strong enough to hold the phone in place with a case and i am sure the charging signal isnt either.. i usally go raw on my phones just because i like to show the slick design...why would i want to buy a slim down phone and convert it into a brick? I know we are all clumpsy and whta not but if you spend retail money on phones like i do every 6months you get to appreciate the equipment and guard it with your life lol...

 

[sledge007]

I tried it with 3 different cases, and it does not work.. magnets are not strong enough to hold the phone in place with a case and i am sure the charging signal isnt either.. i usally go raw on my phones just because i like to show the slick design...why would i want to buy a slim down phone and convert it into a brick? I know we are all clumpsy and whta not but if you spend retail money on phones like i do every 6months you get to appreciate the equipment and guard it with your life lol...

That doesn't always work in the real world......especially those of us that don't wear a suit and tie to work .....Day 4 smashed screen, Day 6 fixed and Otterboxed. Rockbeast, I would think a bumper-style case would work...one that just wraps the edges.

 

[Rockbeast]

So far, I'm on day 8 and no mishaps...any time now, the UPS guy will pull up and deliver my Otterbox Defender...and I will begin my case...experiment! I will feel much safer once the case is on. Bert, have you ever put a 'tacky' film type cover on the back of your phone? Maybe grippy is a better word. Or, is there a grippy back plate you can replace with on the S3? The back is just too slick. My Palm Pre+ and Pre2 both had this nice grippy feel to it that made it stay in my hand but slid easily into my pocket...and out again...unless I was wearing those skinny jeans of course!

My phone is now sitting on my desk, plugged in not only to give it full power, but as a safety tether...just in case...no pun intended. [Truthfully, when is a pun never intended by a twisted psyche?]

OK, so I'm updating to say I received my Otterbox Defender case and my S3 is now safe and sound...or safer and sounder than it was before. It went on pretty easy. I have the Glacier color (kind of a medium grey outer box with a white inner box) but the belt holder is black. It isn't too big, but it is a little bigger than I would like a case to be. I can fit it still in my pocket...just a little harder to get in and out, I'm glad about that. I might not use the belt holder except when out in the field.

I will now be waiting a couple weeks or so for my other cases...and my Touchstone capable S3 back cover to arrive for my testing to begin. I don't really think I will find a case that works. I had a case for my Pre+ that had 2 different backs to use...a solid one, and one with a cut out exactly the size of the Touchstone puck. That made it real easy to position the Pre+ on the touchstone.

 

[Rockbeast]

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...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. The second reason is that the back is slick like the original S3 back, while the Pre touchstone capable backs were a little 'grippy'.

EDIT UPDATE: I have had limited sucess by taking off the outer 'gel' case of the otterbox defender, and setting the hard inner case on the touchstone. Sometimes I get a charging signal, not often, but sometimes. The case is so slick though that it won't stay on the slanted surface of the touchstone. I may cut out the back of the hardshell just big enough to fit the touchstone. Then I could slip off the outercase and set in on for charging. This isn't too hard to do, but I'll probably be trying other cases in the near future. Once the Qi standard devices are available (and somewhat affordable) I think we will have better sucess because it appears the Qi coils can be a little further apart and still achieve charging. This isn't scientific at all, but I think a case that is 1.5 mm or thinner might work on a Touchstone, but maybe up to 3mm for a Qi charging system (that 3mm is based on the specs for Qi that say a 5mm distance between induction coils is the max, and assuming each device (phone and charger surface) have a 1mm thickness (conservative, probably more like 0.75mm each), you have about 3mm left for a case thickness.

 

[japetty]

Does NFC still work with this configuration?

 

[Rockbeast]

Does NFC still work with this configuration?

Do you mean, while it is sitting on the Touchstone charger puck? I'm not sure...I haven't used NFC yet on my phone. I don't have another S3 amongst my friends (they have an iPhone and a Blackberry... )...and my wife doesn't have one to share videos of the kids and what not ...so I can't answer your question.

pjcruiser, do you have anything to share on this question?

 

[crabbz]

I have the charging coil from a palm pixi in my S3 and I'm able to read/write NFC tags.

 

[Rockbeast]

OK, so yesterday I received both of the other cases I had ordered...several days early!

Unfortunately, neither of them will allow the use of the Touchstone. One seemed pretty thin, but no luck. The other was pretty thick, and had a slippery feeling rubber outside, almost like it had been oiled up.

The first one, which I do like, is:
Amazon.com: Shell Holster Combo Case for Samsung Galaxy S3 with Kick-stand -At&t, Verizon, T-mobile, Us Cellular and Sprint: Cell Phones & Accessories

The second one is:
Amazon.com: Kickstand Hybrid Hard Gel Case with Stand for Verizon, Sprint, T-mobile, AT&T Samsung Galaxy S3 I9300, I747 - Black and Black: Cell Phones & Accessories
This is the slippery one...I won't be using it.

I guess I will try out a couple more...the wireless charging is pretty important to me...after world peace.

 

[Rockbeast]

...

The first one, which I do like, is:
Amazon.com: Shell Holster Combo Case for Samsung Galaxy S3 with Kick-stand -At&t, Verizon, T-mobile, Us Cellular and Sprint: Cell Phones & Accessories

I guess I will try out a couple more...the wireless charging is pretty important to me...after world peace.

Well, after liking that Shell Holster Combo Case for it's slimness and kickstand, I must report that it offers little protection from falls. It appears that it is metal, coated with a black matte paint that might give it just the slightest bit of shock protection...a thicker flexible paint I suppose. However, on Sunday night it was in the holster, and it fell from about 2 feet onto a tile floor and my screen cracked. I meant that the entire thing, holster and phone completely covered and protected fell as a single unit. You would think it was protected. I'm a bit perturbed. The crack hasn't crept across the screen yet...it's about an inch to 1.25 inches long and sort of looks like a thick hair on my screen...forever on my screen...until the end of time or the end of my 2 year contract...whichever comes first :'( (at least the Mayan Apocalypse didn't affect me!).

So, it is back in my Otterbox defender, which doubles as a trick ski and a small shield in case Captain America loses his. I'm thinking about cutting a hole in the back of my Otterbox inner case to fit the touchstone. That way, I can peel off the rubber outer case of the Defender whenever I want to wirelessly charge.

Anyway

 

[pjcruiser]

So, it is back in my Otterbox defender, which doubles as a trick ski and a small shield in case Captain America loses his. I'm thinking about cutting a hole in the back of my Otterbox inner case to fit the touchstone. That way, I can peel off the rubber outer case of the Defender whenever I want to wirelessly charge.

Anyway

Let us know if you cut a hole in your otterbox. I can honestly say that I have though the same thing, I have been going "naked" gs3 just to have wireless charging everywhere (Home, work, car) so if cutting a hole works i may join you in the quest for wireless charging while protected form drops.

Later down the road.