"Insider" Sprint doc details the Palm Pre for new users, other boring minutiae

If you've been looking for a window into the life of the Palm Pre once you're a real, actual, not pretend user, a poster at Inside Sprint Now who claims to be a rep for the provider may have some answers for you. In what appears to be pretty much the entire "quick start" guide (or whatever kind of connected, web-centric name Palm will give it), the anonymous writer reveals the ins and outs of how to get around on your new phone. Here's some of the more interesting tidbits from the document -- which, mind you, could just be the wild imaginings of someone with way too much time on their hands:

• Palm / Sprint will provide a "Palm profile," which will allow for OTA updates of software, App Catalog downloads, and online backups of contacts, calendars, apps, and preferences. Interestingly, this sounds like it could be related to web services we've seen mentioned in Palm's SEC filings.
• There will be some kind of PC-based "Data Transfer Assistant" which will allow users to migrate old Palm OS data to the phone -- but it appears to be a one-way street.
• The Pre will require a Simply Everything / Simply Everything data plan, or a Business Essentials Plan.
• Highlighting text (for copy / paste) duties in web pages won't be possible -- which is kind of a huge bummer.
• The Pre won't support Sprint services such as Sprint Music, Sprint PictureMail, or Sprint Digital Lounge.

Finally, one of the more interesting components of this post is pictured up above -- a guide for managing cards (and memory, consequently), and a walkthrough of how to reset or hard reset the device. Okay -- we know, not exactly the juiciest scoop in the world here, but Palm isn't giving us much to work with. You guys about ready for this thing to drop?

Update: People, if it wasn't clear enough (or if you didn't take the time to read the post), we don't have confirmation of this being an "official" document -- it looks like a very convincing leak, however. Don't start selling off your stock just yet.

[Via PreCentral]

[Walt Posted Apr 27th 2009 2:56PM]

I find it curious that one is unable to select and copy text from the content of a web page. My Treo 650 does this easily. This is not a huge issue for me, but it is a little irritating if true.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 27th 2009 4:14PM]

The more n more I hear about the pre , the more I see it not being the iphonekiller.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 27th 2009 4:21PM]

I'm gonna buy this on may 17. Fir $349.
If it doesn't clearly kill my 16gb iPhone 3g I will return it.
These are the 5 big features I will compare ui. Video iPod . True HTML browser n ease of email client app store. If pre doesn't destroy iphone on just those features I will return my palm pre before 30 days. I have returned 7 smartphones in the last 5 years.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 27th 2009 5:42PM]

No PictureMail? wtf is that crap? it took Sprint years to get PM on WM devices and now they can't even write a simple app for this on webOS? Rethinking getting this phone now

[Demo22 Posted Apr 27th 2009 5:50PM]

It natively supports MMS, so it doesn't NEED Sprint's PictureMail service. PictureMail is just MMS with a bunch of extra crap thrown in to make it more "user friendly," or was many years ago.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 27th 2009 5:11PM]

Ahmmm... I wanted a Pre, I hate ATT/Verizon (due to constitution) BUT.... I am not getting a Pre, it does not have decent Podcasting/Mp3.
No where in the iTouch, it was targeted at BlackBerry and they never changed target.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 27th 2009 5:42PM]

I don't buy the 'can't copy and paste from webpages' line.
-Every application runs in a web browser, (all content is sourced on the device)
-Other apps have shown copy/paste, proven on demo videos, and looked universal.
-So then why would the 'internet web browser' not also support copy/paste?
I have a feeling there is a typo or miscommunication somewhere.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 27th 2009 6:03PM]

on his post at sprintgurus.com he says the pre is released with pink floyd's wish you were here song and the trailer for the movie up. then he states "You can make your own assumptions from one of those, if you read between the lines". i think he was hinting at the release date. the disney movie Up comes out May 29th. I'm thinking that they would release the phone a little before that date if they're putting the trailer for it on the phone. that's of course if this guy is legit.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 27th 2009 6:10PM]

Still looking forward to the release...

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 27th 2009 6:19PM]

here's the link to where he says what the video and music sample will be pink floyd and the up trailer. http://sprintgurus.com/forum/showthread.php?t=315

[jhoff80 Posted Apr 27th 2009 6:54PM]

You can copy and paste within any text field, but you cannot select text from the body of the page to copy it.

And to a poster slightly above this, assuming that there isn't podcast support build in, do you think there won't be a podcast client that at the very least streams the audio/video, or maybe even automatically downloads it (this would be a little more difficult, but still possible), you're crazy.

The Pre already does most of the hard work with no issues. The developer just has to pass the video or audio to the built in media players, using APIs that are surely in the SDK. The app practically writes itself.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 27th 2009 8:59PM]

Regarding copy and paste in the browser, if it didn't hurt the iPhone, it won't hurt the Pre.

[VanillaSpice Posted Apr 28th 2009 1:46AM]

Surely this is not genuine!

If true, it would mean the Pre suffers from two things the fanboys always criticised the iPhone for, and it would be a slap in the face for many people who criticised the iPhone (but not all of them, of course, just the ones who used these reasons).

(Yeah, go on, I know you will just low-rank me, because I don't adopt your party line of hating on everything Apple. If that is how you respond to dissenting voices, go ahead - you are saying a lot about you and nothing about my comment.)

[(Unverified) Posted May 1st 2009 3:06PM]

"The Pre will require a Simply Everything / Simply Everything data plan, or a Business Essentials Plan."

Goddamnit this pisses me off. I have a really plan that has everything the simply everything plan has for about 55 bucks cheaper. I refuse to switch.