Wireless charging was a key feature of Samsung's flagship Android blower when it was announced, but the replacement back plate it needs isn't on the shelves yet, so one brave soul has hacked a Palm Touchstone charger into the S3 case.

Not that the hack uses the Samsung/Qualcomm-backed "Alliance for Wireless Power" standard, that's not even been published yet, but it does enable a Samsung S3 to be placed on the magnetically aligned Touchstone wireless charger to pick up some power:

The Touchstone was designed for use with the Palm Pre, and hacking it onto a S3 requires dismantling the receiving coil from the back of a 'Pre and jamming it into the S3 case, so not making use of the S3's capabilities beyond the two connectors which stand ready for the official wireless charging kit.

That kit won't use magnets to align the coils, as the standard being pushed by the Alliance for Wireless Power doesn't require devices to be aligned. It also allows devices to be charged from several centimetres away, allowing a new charging paradigm of "power sipping" where the phone picks up energy from the car door, or the office chair, without the user ever proactively "charging" their phone.

When we covered the launch of the 'Alliance we suggested it was just Qualcomm's WiPower standard with broader backing, but that resulted in hurt messages from Samsung saying it had had wireless power for at least five years (in 3D specs as well as elsewhere) and that the new standard would incorporate aspects of WiPower and its proprietary technology.

We asked about Samsung's membership of the rival Wireless Power Consortium, and were told it was "under review", but more than a month later Samsung is still listed as a member of both consortia and the S3 still doesn’t have wireless charging of any kind, other than after being bodged together with the Touchstone as above. ®