The Best Accessories for Powering Your Palm Pre

One of the handiest -- and most fun -- ways to charge your Pre is with Palm's Touchstone charging kit. The Touchstone itself is a small, circular device that serves as the charger. To use it, you just place the Pre on the Touchstone and, voila, charging begins. You do need a special Touchstone back cover for your Pre (included with the kit); both that cover and the Touchstone contain magnets that hold the phone in place when it's on the dock. The magnets are needed because the Touchstone holds the Pre at a slight angle, allowing you to see the screen -- and therefore use the phone -- when it's on the dock.

Battery life is not among the Palm Pre's best features, but luckily, this smartphone sports a removable battery -- unlike that sealed-up iPhone. Take advantage of this feature by investing in a backup battery. Keep this one full of juice, and then swap it in when your first battery runs out. If you're away from a power outlet, this backup battery could save the day.

If you're going to invest in that spare battery, you'll want this spare battery charger, too. It provides a handy way to keep your spare battery charged without having to insert it in your Palm Pre. Just pop the spare battery in this charger, plug it in, and you're good to go.

If Palm's backup battery doesn't provide enough juice for you, you may want to consider a third-party alternative. Seido's extended battery is supposed to provide about 15 percent more life than Palm's standard battery, which will keep you talking and surfing the Web even longer. But keep in mind that third-party batteries can cause problems, and some Pre users have noted that the Seido battery causes their phone to reset unexpectedly.

If your Pre runs out of gas while you're on the road, you'll want a way to charge it. Palm's battery car charger does the trick.

Opting for a third-party car charger, like the Motorola model, can be a cheaper alternative than buying the official Palm brand. Keep in mind, though, that third-party accessories don’t always work seamlessly -- some users have reported a delay with this Motorola charger, for example -- but if you don't mind taking that chance, you can save big.

Connecting your Palm Pre to your computer is a great way to charge it. But the micro USB cable that comes with the Pre is long - so if you want to connect it to your laptop, you're left with extra cable cluttering up your desk. Cut the clutter with a cable like this one, which retracts to the perfect length.

If you're lucky, all of your wall outlets are easily accessible. But if they're not, you may have trouble plugging in the AC charger that comes with the Palm Pre -- it's slightly long and bulky. If you need a smaller charger to access hard-to-reach power outlets, consider this Seidio model. It's small and slim, and features folding prongs for easy travel.