Palm Pre User Guide: the highlights, so far

When word that Sprint Gurus had gotten hold of the Palm Pre User Guide came across our desks yesterday, we couldn't wait to get our eyes all over it... and then we saw that it was almost as long as Infinite Jest. Okay, we kid, it's not as bad as all that -- just 344 pages of heretofore unseen glorious tidbits. So here's what we've culled thus far: first, the Pre's main musical squeeze, Amazon MP3, will queue your music downloads when on the 3G network for later download when the device is on a WiFi network -- which is sure to cause annoyance and dismay the whole world over (and by "world" we mean the Pre's world, which is US only). There is however, plenty of good news: the Pre will, in fact have IMAP IDLE (AKA Push) Gmail capabilities, meaning that you'll get your spam nearly the moment it hits Gmail's servers. Finally, the previously spied Reminder field in the Pre's Contacts has been found out, and it's a really awesome feature allowing you to make a note and attach it to a particular contact, so that the next time you are in contact with that person, the reminder will pop up and... remind you. For anyone suffering mild memory loss (like us) little touches like this are sure to make the Pre a more attractive proposition. Hit the read link for the full manual, and let us know what you find. Warning: the user's manual is a PDF, and has an insanely huge Sprint Gurus watermark across every blasted page.

[Via Pre Central, My Pre]

[AmaaR @ May 28th 2009 8:35AM]

Who still pays for Music?

[rbgrules @ May 28th 2009 8:47AM]

People still pay for music since it's so easy now and doesn't sometimes lead to an infected computer(happened to non-computer savey people I knew).

[Dexter. @ May 28th 2009 8:58AM]

People who have friends trying to make a living out of making music.

[Gnormie @ May 28th 2009 9:34AM]

People who haven't heard of Spotify?

[Kelmon @ May 28th 2009 9:44AM]

Me. Got a problem with that?

[Ryujin @ May 28th 2009 10:14AM]

People who aren't poor enough to give a dollar to musicians they respect.

[iphonerulez @ May 28th 2009 12:43PM]

Is this a photo of the new Palm Pre? I've heard a lot of people hyping it up but rumors are that there are very few Pres being manufactured. Something like only four units per major city in the U.S. Every two weeks if the previous batch sells, they can manufacturer a few more units.

Is it true this thing only comes with 8 GBs of storage when the latest smartphones will sport at least 32 GBs? Sounds like a midget trying to satisfy a 50 ft. tall woman.

Well, there's only eight more days to go before this supposed world-beater will hit the streets. I hope it produces more than just a insignificant ripple in world of smartphones. Android-powered smartphones will be flooding the industry fairly soon and the Palm Pre might just get lost in the flood.

[Mikey @ May 28th 2009 12:49PM]

iphonerulez, whatever Apple is paying you to bash the Pre on tech blogs and to otherwise spread disinformation... it's too much (including if they aren't paying you at all, then you owe them money). Your "facts" about the Pre are comicly idiotic. But, I wouldn't expect much intelligence from an Apple fan boi.

[BloodyHell @ May 28th 2009 1:12PM]

Little bastards like you, just ask your mother

[Joseph @ May 28th 2009 2:24PM]

What does that question have to do with anything? iTunes is more than a store, it is also an application. Which, in this case, is the point that it can sync with.

[atlasfugged @ May 29th 2009 12:08AM]

@Ryujin: +10^100

[GB @ May 28th 2009 8:37AM]

This note-to-contact thing is so cool! It'll especially help people with more than one girlfriends (or boyfriends, of course..)! ;)

[joe23521 @ May 28th 2009 9:47AM]

Michael Scott would love this feature.

[Dan Easton @ May 28th 2009 8:38AM]

The Pre is US only? I didn't realise. I guess I'll just have to get the iPhone instead.

[Phoenix @ May 28th 2009 8:54AM]

AT FIRST. a GSM version is coming.

[James @ May 28th 2009 8:55AM]

You mean that there are other places in the world that have money other than the USA?

Oh my!,
How deliciously absurd!

[Kelmon @ May 28th 2009 9:49AM]

In all honesty, this is my position too. I'm interested in the Pre but I'm not going to wait unless a definite schedule is released within the next month or so. If Palm confirms that the device will be available in Belgium in the next 3-months or so then I'll be prepared to wait but otherwise I'll get the new iPhone, which looks like it will do what I need since at least that will be available here.

[Brandon @ May 28th 2009 10:35AM]

US only? Supposed to be released on Bell in Canada sometime in June. As far as delayed launches go in Canada, getting something less than a month after our southern counterparts should pretty much be considered simultaneous...

[Dexter. @ May 28th 2009 8:38AM]

There are some really innovative features here; I particularly like the reminder field in the contacts! I'm too young to have been involved with Palm's earlier products, but these little touches seem indicative of the company and it's reputation. I'm an iPhone user at the minute, but I don't believe in blind loyalty to any brand- hence if this bad boy makes it across the Atlantic it'll make upgrade time way more interesting!

Bravo Palm.

[axemt @ May 28th 2009 8:39AM]

I'm getting a Pre! The contact reminder note it's just what I need! Such simple thing and so helpful.

[Templarian @ May 28th 2009 8:52AM]

Same, and I can think of so many times that note feature would of been so useful.

[Spiny Norman @ May 28th 2009 9:46AM]

But don't you still have to remember that you've left a note attached to the person's contact information? Is looking up a contact on your phone every time you run into an acquaintance going to become the new thing to do?

It would be better if everyone was implanted with an RFID chip in their skull, so their contact information would automatically pop up on my Pre when I run into them on the street.

I can see it now: "Reminder: This is the guy you insulted at the bar last night, and hit on his girlfriend. He said he was going to kick your f*cking ass when he saw you again. Run!!!!"

[Samsara @ May 28th 2009 10:19AM]

That's the point, you don't have to go look at the contact to see the reminder; it'll pop up whenever that contact calls, texts, or e-mails you (or vice versa). No RIFD, yet, but I bet someone could write an app to detect people via bluetooth. Ooo, please someone do that.

[jonshipman @ May 28th 2009 10:25AM]

I see it as if you're emailing the person or IMing the notification with the note will pop up.

[pinn @ May 28th 2009 8:44AM]

My Blackberry has been getting push gmail via IMAP IDLE since last fall.

[Eric @ May 28th 2009 8:48AM]

Blackberries don't have true IMAP IDLE - the blackberry server does and then relays the emails. IMAP sync on BBs is also atrocious.

The comment is not quite true, however, Chatter Email offered IMAP IDLE on PalmOS devices for years and Profimail has it for Symbian. Whether either or both works with Gmail I'm not sure.

[Jay Voorhees @ May 28th 2009 8:51AM]

The pre is for the cool kids. The blackberry makes you a tool. Pinn, you are not a cool kid.

[bender @ May 28th 2009 8:55AM]

u r all fool!

[Templarian @ May 28th 2009 8:54AM]

@Jay Voorhees, don't be that way. lol. Blackberries have their own uses.

Every phone was built for a specific audience.

[Tes @ May 28th 2009 9:15AM]

@Eric

Symbian phones have supported IMAP-idle for years now even WITHOUT Profimail. It became even more useful once Google turned on IMAP access a couple of years back. I think this is another case of Engadget not being able to look beyond their knowledge of a certain fruit based mobile device.

[Jay Voorhees @ May 28th 2009 9:22AM]

All I'm sayin is that nothing screams "Slave to the man" like a blackberry. and yes, chatter email or whatever works with my centro just fine, i get all the spam from the naked lady sites i belong to no more than 30 seconds after it arrives in my inbox on the gmail servers.

[zephxiii @ May 28th 2009 9:56AM]

Your blackberry has halfassed IMAP support. Pre IMAP Idle > blackberry BIS. With the PRE, WM, ANDROID, S60, PALM OS, Iphone you can mark as read and delete from the device and have the results show up on the server, in addition to the ability to sync additional folders.

[Dead_Rebel @ May 28th 2009 11:45AM]

You guys either have shit internet connections or shit wireless providers, or both..... I ALWAYS get my gmail on my BB BEFORE my inbox on my computer. Always.

[Freakin Ijit @ May 28th 2009 8:52AM]

You don't think those App "Store" words are interesting?

[chriswodja @ May 28th 2009 8:54AM]

Oh yeah...this is good.

[Phoenix @ May 28th 2009 8:54AM]

I do like how you can have the next/previous app gestures, and still have the back on a shorter swipe. A nice touch

[Phoenix @ May 28th 2009 9:03AM]

additionally, looking at the gestures, it looks like you might be able to select text in browser with the shift-drag. Additionally, I like the use of the gesture are for copy and paste shortcuts

[huh @ May 28th 2009 9:00AM]

Good initial features are one thing, but is the Pre you buy now going to have a future? If you're buying a 'smartphone' (really, a mobile computer), the operating system becomes very important, and important features will be constantly emerging. Apple has proven to have a reasonable record carrying device software forward, though they did drop PPC a prematurely, and support on first generation Macbooks for software like Java. Android is Open Source so theoretically you can upgrade any time, though you're reliant on your vendor for true support, at least "the community" has enough access to fix things themselves. With Windows Mobile, you're at the mercy of your vendor, aside from third party hacks for some devices. What will Palm's policy be?

[chocolatethunder2000 @ May 28th 2009 2:17PM]

"but is the Pre you buy now going to have a future? What will Palm's policy be?"

Being that this is supposedly Palm's savior, I seriously doubt they're going to drop the ball this time. They've already hinted that there are future functionality and updates coming, and they will be over the air automatically...so you won't have to hunt down the latest patches or upgrades. And while Verizon has stepped on RIM's toes when it came to firmware updates for the Storm, it's doubtful that Sprint will interfere with Palm's upgrade plans.

[James T @ May 29th 2009 3:38PM]

Palm, or really Handspring if you want to get technical, is pretty much the originator in this field. That being the smartphone, cellular/PDA marriage, or whatever you want to call it. Though they certainly waited way too long to update or replace the OS (Palm...PalmSource....Access...it makes my head hurt), they DO have a history of providing updates when needed and a developer community that is deep, strong, and largely committed. There are developers still actively programming/updating on the current, very long in the tooth, Garnet OS and judging by the confirmed apps available at launch, I don't see that changing. I don't see long term support, relevance, or innovation being a problem either. The only real road blocks to progressing the device further (and this holds true for any device ) is carrier interference. Carriers feel that enabling certain features hurts their ability to earn revenue on some of their other services. The real biggie was WiFi years ago. Sprint especially was kinda reluctant about that. Since that hurdle has been jumped, the only real perceived threat to most providers is tethering (using your unlimited wireless data plan, not some special tethered plan). It would be nice to set up your Pre or iPhone to be a wireless access point for example, but I seriously doubt this has been/will be the case if the CSPs have any say in it...and they do, aftermarket options notwithstanding. Most other possible improvements I can see involve customers interacting with various online services, and I can't imagine Sprint or subsequent carriers objecting to their customer's using more data. Or rather, having more customers who want to pay to do so.

[peestandingup @ May 28th 2009 9:02AM]

Just FYI. A "hands on" is not a review.

[Nemoi @ May 28th 2009 9:06AM]

What a bogus about being the first to support IMAP-Idle. Nokia phones have been capable of doing that for years. Just because a certain other phone can't do it doesn't mean that this is an ingenious invention. But hey, there is still quite a lot making me exited about the Pre...

[Aaron @ May 28th 2009 9:09AM]

Agreed. Nokia Messaging has IMAP IDLE support for GMail.

[Tes @ May 28th 2009 9:07AM]

"the Pre will, in fact have IMAP IDLE (AKA Push) Gmail capabilities, meaning that you'll get your spam nearly the moment it hits Gmail's servers, making it the first phone outside of Google's own G1 to do so"

Wait...so the "IMAP IDLE" setting that's been getting me my email from Gmail pretty much INSTANTLY for the past two years on my Nokia N95 doesn't really exist? Who knew.

[krische @ May 28th 2009 9:16AM]

Hello?! This is America, no one uses Nokia phones over here ;)

[Tes @ May 28th 2009 9:20AM]

@krische

That's pretty much the most shoddy excuse for doing poor research I've EVER seen...the only saving grace is that the author themselves isn't the one using it.

[wrabbit @ May 28th 2009 10:01AM]

Did you guys know that there is a hidden "Edit post" feature on Engadget?? Unless of course it's a bug/fluke.

I posted a reply, then went to post another reply to the same message, and it overwrote the first reply completely, and now as I type this I wanna see if this 3rd reply will overwrite the 2nd one.

[wrabbit @ May 28th 2009 10:02AM]

And it didn't - so fluke it was *sigh* :(

I want "Edit", NAO!

[Boards of Canada @ May 28th 2009 9:12AM]

"making it the first phone outside of the G1 to do so"

There is a word for that: Second.

[Tes @ May 28th 2009 9:18AM]

If only that was the case...see above and this 2004 report on a press release from Nokia: http://bit.ly/znCfy

I think it took them until about 2006 before finally releasing a phone with it on...and they've all had it since.