Buy this book: Chris Ziegler's 'Palm Pre for Dummies'!
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Oct 13th 2009 7:03PM
posted Oct 13th 2009 7:03PM
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ok.
torrents!
Seriously, anyone on this site right now who owns a pre knew everything about the phone 2 months before it was released.
All Palm Pre owners are dummies. I'm only saying... that's what they're implying, not me.
Only an idiot would buy this book. Does the Pre not come with a manual? Are Pre forums shutting down preventing the answering of the occasional questions owners may have?
I've never even seen the phone and I'm sure I could help better than their tech support.
"-Multitask with more than one app open at a time"
as opposed to Multitasking with only one app open at a time?
Maybe Chris Ziegler should buy this book: "Comment System for Dummies"
Personally I'd enjoy reading a book of humerous comments in reply to some of the articles posted :) That's almost as good as the article itself!
Also, congrats on being published, Chris
i think ziegler should put more effort into correcting his blog posts before he starts writing books.
Ouch. Do you have a specific post you'd like me to look into?
Ohhh snap!!! Show your face JJ ! We need you to explain your statement. Show us sources and references of the mistake.
Why did Joshua post this? To reduce the perception of conflict of interest?
Do people need to learn how to "multi-task with more than one app open at a time"? Isn't that inherent?
Downranked because I don't believe his journalism is in question here. Most of us wouldn't be reading this blog if it were.
Is it appropriate for a professional technology blog to hawk the wares of their writers? Perhaps... perhaps not.
I think at some point Engadget should consider itself a professional publication, whether it likes to or not, and then abide by a code of journalistic integrity. I could be off here, but this and other instance of 'buy our writer's book' hits me as weird. It'd be like a journo from Wired writing an article for their site saying, "buy my new bluetooth embedded Sham-wow!".
But like I said, I could be off on this...
F to the raggle
All kidding aside, though -- and I ask because I see JJ's comment is getting upranked -- can I get some examples of things I need to correct? I do take this job very personally, believe it or not, and I care deeply about the quality of the content on this site. Not trying to be a jerk here.
I think Ziegler should put more effort into finding a new avatar pic, being that old internet meme is played out (and tell me how you do it since I have been trying to set a pic for months without success)
Anyway, congrats Chris. As someone who has written a few computer books, you will never forget that first time you walk into a B&N or Borders and see yours on the shelf.
NohOne: Nonsense, the combo dramatic chipmunk / red question mark meme hasn't even yet begun! :)
@XChrisX
I come here for links, as journalism here is seldom present. I could do very well without the sarcastic opinionated crap they are so fond of writing and have the pretty rare thing that is "reporting of facts" instead.
@giuliop You know what they say about opinions...You can't get butt hurt just because you don't always agree with what is being written here.
What the heck is the "code of journalistic integrity"?
The next time I see an honest writer on a major news network will be the first. Every journalist has an agenda and many are for profit. I don't see anything wrong with Engadget promoting Chris' work.
@ Chris. This is the internet. We hate on everyone equally, even those providing us with something to do all day at work as well as writing books we can recommend to friends/family to get them off our backs every 5 minutes about new technology.
JJ got upranked because it was hilarious. I personally don't read the byline very often except when I have a major problem with the article and I don't know you. So that's good, I think? LOL
I don't know why he was upranked, Zeigler but I personally don't mind your articles. Nilay Patel is a different story.
I think it's funny (and great, too) that Zeigler actually reads the comments section and responds to us lowly commenters. It would suck if Engadget's writers never checked out what's going on in the 'pit'
Congrats Chris on your hard work.
i don't keep track of which editors make spelling/grammar mistakes in their articles, but it's pretty well known that errors in the posts are not infrequent. this sentence from the recent LHC article make my head hurt pretty bad:
"proposed an unlikely explanation as why the LHC and the Superconducting Supercollider before it seem to be particularly accident prone."
WOW.
Hmmm...I believe I remember "Josh" saying that Engadget employees weren't allowed to own stock in any companies they wrote about - or something similar.
But they're allowed to make money off those same companies in OTHER ways?
Hmmm...
Whoever that owns a Palm Pre is a dummy
Whoever that makes idiot remarks is a dummy.
Whoever that says that in a weird and unnecessary way is a dummy.
Agreed.
I've had the 'privilege' of playing with one. The apps are weak, the keyboard sucks, the screen is small, the gestures don't always work, if feels cheap, has sharp edges (we used a demo model to open a box at our store), and the UI just doesn't flow as well as they make it seem.
Sure, it can multitask. But it's really not doing much with it... and probably never will, no matter how much they want to be Apple (even going so far to make their USB key look like an iPod, despite being scolded by the USB IF).
@greg
Perhaps you missed Adobe's recent demonstration of the Pre running 3 flash applets at once?
Whoever gets regularly sucked by a baby as a nipple/bottle substitute is a dummy.
Doesn't the phone come with something like this? WOW WTF!
Haha. Did my Pre come with a manual? I'm too much of a dummy to know. I better get this new book. I've had my phone for 4 months now and I haven't figured out how to make a call yet.
I'll be returning my Pre for a Hero until Palm learns how to build better hardware.
*Spoiler*
The iPhone did it, in the kitchen, with the charger cable
Now we know what killed cogent commenting at Engadget.
Thanks.
Did he also write the "sex for dummies"? I'd read that ;)
No, but the Engadget team have been working in their spare time on "Sex with Dummies".
so you don't know how to make a fist??
Jim,
The book is titled, Sex with Robots from Korea that Play Soccer for Dummies.
cut your fingernails chris
Not my hand!
How do you know those are Chris's nails? Do you fail to observe the French Tips?
lol. Vote for funniest observation about this article/advertisement/cheap plug picture.
Geez guys c'mon.. that is obviously Josh Topolsky's hand.
Is the photo trying to imply that Pre owners are also apple owners?
Did he also write the "sex for dummies"? I'd read that ;)
That book was written by Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer... Your joke is not working .
I thought it was funnier the second time he posted it.
Product placement?
You could have made it a little less obvious...
"Learn To: Make, receive, and manage calls on your Palm Pre" Man that must be so hard to figure out.
If you cant figure out how to make or receive a call... don't buy a Pre.
shameless plug... I'm disappointed engadget...
I like the combo of pre and mac in the background it's kind a symbolic for the fight after our heart ;)
is it not bad enough we have to read the crap? now we have to give him money?
I understand many of you are pulling the "WTF, who needs this?" routine but I do not think we are Mr. Ziegler's audience. We're a bunch of nerds, we know what to do with our gadgets. I think the writers at Engadget know this. This is for the less informed. I praise books like this simply because it may mean one less person asking me how to do this or that with their gadget.
You are assuming the audience for the book can (a) open it and (b) read.
Right, exactly -- I wrote it with my parents in mind (I love you, Mom and Dad).
I'm pretty sure that intended audience doesn't read Engadget, so can we avid readers get some respect please? Just an ounce maybe?
LOL I think I should write for Engadget, my skills in the sarcasm department are getting better and better each day!
The book title is appropriate.
You have friends who paid money for a Pre? What do they like best? The cheap plasticky hardware? The non-existent app store? The useless keyboard? Ummm,,, Sprint? no not Sprint...
Chris
Hmm.. Don't your Mom and Dad have the iphone.
Step 1: Return It
Step 2: Get something else
I would if the Pixi were available!
The Pixi is a downgrade from the Pre. No wi-fi, smaller screen, slower cpu. The only thing in it's favor is that it's slightly thinner. But it's still taller than the Pre, since you can't slide its keyboard out of the way.
@Fraggle.Rock where is this bluetooth enabled sham wow you speak of, I'd be all over it
These books don't make sense to me because the internet pretty much Everything For Dummies.
Correct, Mr Ziegler, the Palm Pre *is* for dummies.
Oh you...
You, sir, should be keeping your hands off the keyboard.
Does it come with a free pre?.
just curious here but, as another commenter up top mentioned, how does this work with regards to conflict of interest? david pogue just underwent a whole bunch of scrutiny for a very similar situation, writing books about apple while being in a journalistic position to influence under the pretense of objective reportage. is there not the same expectation on a blog?
not trying to troll or do any "gotcha" stuff, but this does seem to be a highly relevant issue these days.
More like welcome to banhammer.
Ok this comment seems slightly weird after the troll post got deleted...
Really Engadget, has it come to this? I can only imagine if someone else had written this book/guide how engadget would've ripped apart their reputation with sarcasm about not being able to figure out what to do with a phone. And this comes from a guy who's been reading Engadget twice a day for forever.
Click on the + guys if you're with me on this!
"Click on the + guys if you're with me on this!"....................... sad.......
Last time I checked voting was the most effective way to get your voice heard. And it was legal. And there was nothing wrong in asking for votes. Now my friend unless you have something valuable to add here, we could do without your mood swing displays on the site. Cool?
The whole + - thing is childish.
Is the Pre really hard that hard to use? Where it warrants a book itself? Haven't had much of a problem with mine.
________ for Dummies is for pretty much anything. iPhone for Dummies, Computers for Dummies, etc.
If I get a chance I'll read it.
The comments here on this already made the book worthy :D
dude, c'mon. learn how to "install new webOS apps"?? "make, receive and manage calls"?? You may as well add: learn how to "slide out the qwerty keyboard" and learn "how to use the space bar". Seriously though... if you can tell me how to "delete multiple emails" and "empty trash folder" without swiping left to right a gagillion times a month. I will buy your book and recommend it to all my Pre friends. And yes I have friends.
As I read most of his articles, I think Chris's knowledge is there without a question, I am happy to see him write a book, his bias at time can be questionable but that is also understandable as everyone has bias towards something, however rudeness is the one thins he seriously needs to work on. Especially as one of the editors of EG.
I'd buy Chris's book if I had a Palm Pre. Sadly, I'm stuck with my HTC Touch Diamond...
the should call it the Palm WHY
why did they choose portrait mode?
why did they choose an unusable micro keyboard suitable for pigeons?
why did they make the screen to small?
why would i ever buy this phone?
even it it was the worlds best software.. which it's not
why why why why why
no i am not short the stock but i should be
Why are you an idiot?
why ask why?
The Palm Pre sucks... trust me, I own one. It's slow and you can't customize it.
I'm getting the Hero once I can.
I don't have a Pre nor am I buying one in the near future, but I have a feeling the book would be pretty neat. Chris is one of the better writers here in Engadget.
The "Pre" does need a "For Dummies" book though. Friend of mine is planning to buy one when the GSM version is out and I had a tough time explaining Synergy to him. Now I can just redirect him to the nearest bookstore.
This would be the greatest tech blog if it weren't populated with the most mean-spirited trolls I've ever had the misfortune to wade through.
Congratulations Chris! I really like your posts on Endgadget and wish you well with your book.
Here's hoping for many more to come!
Feel free to step on a few trolls' heads on your way up.
Some people here are unbelievable! The word trolls come to mind, but in reality they are simply idiots. It is crystal clear, that Chris hadn't written this book for you, you are not his audience, although I'd bet, you could find a tip or two you hadn't think of before, in it. It is also clear that all those moronic remarks on his posts, other sources of information available etc., is plain simple jealousy. You could have written such a book, but you haven't, ok we get it, grow up!
And if you are serious in asking why do we need such a book, well, books are a legitimate source of information. It's not all about internet in this world, you know. I, for one, like books. I like reading them, I like holding them, I like smelling them, I like throwing them at the wall.
As for Engadget promoting it, first of all it's a book about a gadget, second of all it's new. Counts for news about gadgets in my book. Plus if a friend of mine of one of my employees would have written a book and got published, I'd be advertising it on every site i own, every forum I write, I'd be making bumper stickers and printing pictures of it on my shorts.
- Jukov (pissed and) out.
Stop leaving comments just to say "shameless plug," fuckers. Their editor wrote a damn book, they can plug it all they want.
Regarding why that post about Ziegler's allegedly poor writing was being upranked: it's stupid psychology. We see poorly written blog posts so often that attacking bloggers for poor writing has become a cool thing to do. I even upranked that comment myself at first, until I read a few posts down and realized that I couldn't specifically remember any bad posts by Ziegler... other than his horrible opinion that T-Mobile should not go with a $50 unlimited plan. :P
...maybe I'm being dumb, but isn't that what the manual is for?
If a book like this actually hits the market, it's time for Palm to rethink how they can improve their packaging and instructions.
I first thought this was a joke and found it so funny. Thought it was a mockup in PhotoShop and was asking myself 'Why wouldn't I have come up with such a funny idea? - A book on how to make AND receive calls on a mobile!'
Only after I checked on Amazon did I believe it is for real.
I still don't have my Pré and I already know pretty much everything there is to it thanks to the SDK's Pre Emulator... Despite it's complex looks, the WebOS enviroment is pretty much piece of cake! ... I'm also starting to create some simple apps too!