Envious of your Pre toting pals and that Touchstone charging rig? Don't sweat it -- WildCharge is coming through in the clutch to bring similar wireless charging technology to Apple's own handset. Starting today, iPhone (3G and 3GS included) and iPod touch users can order up a WildCharge Skin along with a WildCharger Pad in order to bring wire-free charging to their smartphone. Just slap the skin on, plug the pad in and toss the handset down on said pad. Just like that, you've got fresh energy flowing without having to scour the house for that little AC adapter. The pain? $34.99 for the skin, or $79.99 for the skin and pad.

As much as we love those guys and gals over at Will It Blend?, we couldn't help but cringe each time they "dissected" any given gadget. The cautious cats over at iFixit, however, are more our style. Gentle, loving, appreciative and respectful -- what else could you want in a gizmo surgeon? Per usual, they've done whatever it takes to get ahold of Palm's new Pre and Touchstone, but rather than basking in the glory of ownership, they promptly unrolled their tool belt, fired up the DSLR and proceeded to dissemble both units for your viewing pleasure. We already know that all those little innards add up to right around $170 (for the Pre, anyway), but there's nothing quite like looking at each and every chip and bit yourself. Hit up the read links below if you find your interest piqued, and don't forget to tip your hat as you exit.

Read - Palm Pre teardown
Read - Palm Touchstone teardown

The EU's already given micro-USB its blessing as the preferred charging standard for all things mobile, and now, CTIA has done the same in the States. The move makes perfect sense considering that the OMTP and GSM Association have both endorsed it -- and if there's one thing the entire universe can agree on, it's that proprietary connectors suck. Micro-USB is being lumped together with Energy Star compliance to form the Universal Charging Solution initiative with the goal of getting everyone on the same page by the beginning of 2012. We think that's a pessimistic goal, truth be told; tons of modern phones are already rocking micro-USB, so why can't we make this happen by, say, the beginning of 2010 instead?

[Via Phone Scoop]

Yes friends, your worst nightmare could indeed come true. With companies looking for every last way to nickle and dime their few remaining loyal customers, it's now being suggested that mobile operators could start charging different rates for mobile data depending on the time of day. And, let's face it, it makes total sense in a sick, sadistic way. Reportedly, carriers will soon start having a tough time keeping up with all the data-using cellphone and laptop owners, with the latter crew obviously causing the greatest strain on existing networks. A mocoNews report suggests three main ways of dealing with the uptick in demand: 1) keep building out the network and burning cash, 2) using new technology (read: LTE) with more capacity or 3) create rate plans that discourage usage during peak times. We've always heard that history repeats itself, but we'd be just fine with never hearing the words "peak time" ever again.

This isn't a Palm-branded party favor, a paperweight, or a doorstop. Actually, sure, it could be any of those things if you really wanted it to be -- but Palm's Touchstone is mainly about charging your Pre and making sure it looks pretty while it's getting juiced. It's a pretty wild product (and the first accessory purchase for many a would-be Pre owner, we'd bet), so we wanted to spend a little quality time with it. We weren't allowed to do much charging on our own, but the magnets buried in the Pre certainly seemed to do their job of keeping it glued to the base in portrait and landscape orientations. Oh, and just to validate what we know you're thinking right now, yes: we overheard several Palm employees call it "the puck," so you should, too.

Motorola so had this down pat last year, but we suppose O2 is just showcasing its pedal-powered charging system now that such devices are all the rage. Just days after we had a look at two unorthodox chargers from Orange, along comes rival O2 with a bicycle-related alternative. Reportedly, the eco-friendly device will be demonstrated at the O2 Wireless Festival in London's Hyde Park, but unfortunately, each of the demo bikes will be stationary. Still no word on whether O2 has a mind to take this thing commercial, but for cyclists the world over, here's to hoping it does.

[Thanks, Adam]

For those fortunate enough to be planning a trip to this year's Glastonbury, you can rest assured that forgetting your mobile charger won't be the worst thing that could possibly happen. Reportedly, Orange will erect a seven-meter high recharge Pod tent in which patrons can stop by and reinvigorate their winded handset. Said tent will boast 500-watt solar panels and a 500-watt wind turbine in order to generate electricity for the lifeless phones, and Orange is hoping to juice up 100 devices per hour. If only such conveniences were everywhere...

[Thanks, Adam]

Oh sure, there's a plethora of portable USB chargers out there to keep most every cellphone around juiced up for one last call, but those handling a Palm handset with the polarizing Multi-Connector have long been shut out cold -- until now. Tech Center Labs has just come to the rescue with its Tiny Emergency FuelCell, which holds a single AA and enables power to be passed along to Centros and any other Palm / Treo device with the proprietary connector. Best of all, the pocket-friendly device is just $9.95 (or $10.95 with a bundled battery). Not a bad way to spend a Hamilton if you're a Palm lover.

[Via Palm InfoCenter]

We've heard of firms tinkering with the idea of converting excess heat directly to energy, and apparently, a team of scientists from the US Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley have done just that. Oddly enough, the researchers admit that they're still unclear on how their findings actually work, but they've nevertheless discovered how to increase the conversion efficiency of converting waste heat to energy "by a factor of 100." The authors of the report suggest that clothing constructed of material embedded with thermoelectric modules could one day "recharge mobile electronic devices off the heat of one's body," and while we're certainly stoked about the idea, we're already conjuring up awful images in our minds about what this garb will actually look like.

[Via textually, image courtesy of FourEyesJokeShop]

Not even a week after startup WiPower boasted about its breakthrough in wireless power, Murata and Seiko Epson have announced plans to "jointly development a non-contact quick charging system." Reportedly, the technology "leverages electromagnetic induction," and both the charging stand and a given mobile device would be "respectively equipped with coils that generate power." As for the production, it sounds like Seiko Epson will hone in on the "transmitting side, or primary side," while Murata "will be involved in the production of the rechargeable Li-ion." The overriding goal is to recharge a handset "in about 10 to 15 minutes in a non-contact manner," which would purportedly push power transmission efficiency from current levels of 30- to 50-percent to nearly 70-percent. Oh, and we've already been assured that these "will not generate heat."

Just over eight months after the USB Implementers Forum completed the micro-USB specification, the Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) has recommended that the protocol be accepted as a universal standard for charging and syncing mobile devices. Reportedly, the "OMTP's paper recommends that the micro-USB standard" be adopted across the mobile industry in order to "streamline the whole value chain and provide end users with a larger choice of the most popular peripherals." Still, we're not told when handset manufacturers will start offering up the new port en masse, but at least we're makin' progress, eh?

Judging solely by the shots available, it's not hard to agree with the sect that firmly believes Apple's first-party iPhone dock won't reserve a charging spot for its Bluetooth headset. But hey, that's what Chinese knockoffs are for, right? A full seven days before the iPhone's launch, 4Ustuff purportedly has an iPhone USB cradle for sale that undoubtedly provides the means to dock / charge your BT earpiece. Whether or not it'll actually work with Apple's products (or ship, for that matter), remains to be seen.

[Via Pocket-Lint]

Looks like the inclusion of a handy YouTube button isn't the only fresh news on the iPhone front this morning, as two strangely protective photos of the iPhone dock attempt to show off an accessory that could be dangling by your wallet whilst waiting in line to check out next Friday. The two pictures of the unsurprisingly white device (one shown after the break) fail to reveal any ports or connections whatsoever, but "sources" over at ThinkSecret are suggesting that a charging port will indeed be included to give iPhone dock purchasers a single base to juice up their mobile and headset. Not too many details beyond that just yet, but don't expect such a useful hunk of plastic to run you cheap when it lands.

[Via Think Secret]

Here's one we weren't exactly counting on seeing. Motorola's cheif executive Ed Zander rolled into a packed room here at CES on a bright yellow bicycle, topped off by having Queen's "Bicycle Race" cranked in the background. Yes, oddly enough, Motorola is coming out with a self-branded bike for "emerging markets," which translates into countries where energy sources are scarce. While the company has seen declines here in America due to a very saturated handset market, nearly 5 million folks per month are going mobile in China, thus the need to penetrate those potentially lucrative third world areas. The vehicle will sport a cellphone charging system to provide a way to energize those handsets so intently desired all around the globe. As expected, a cradle on the handlebars would house the mobile, while the motion of the pedals would generate electricity to recharge its battery pack. While this might not sound convenient or even worthwhile in a place like America, "more than 500 million Chinese people rely on bicycles as their primary mode of transportation," which could also mean that half a billion folks in China will soon be cruising the streets while doubling as an AC adapter.

[Via Textually]