John Jacobson said
Consistent with other missing manual books, Palm Pre, The Missing Manual is a well written introduction to the Palm Pre, the new smart phone from Palm and Sprint.
The target for most smart phone makers is the iPhone, and this book often compares features of the two phones. It discusses the advantage that multi-tasking brings to a smart phone, as applications don't have to be closed to access other features of the phone. The various features and applications of the phone are presented in a breezy, conversational style.
Despite its small size, the Pre is an excellent smart phone, with many of the same capabilities as a laptop computer. There are many functions that are available that won't be immediately obvious to even the experienced smart phone user. Browsing through a book such as the Missing Manual will introduce most of these functions to you.
My Pre came with the equivalent of a quick start guide, I downloaded the manual from Sprint to compare with the Missing Manual. The Pre manual is arranged somewhat differently, though the information included is similar. I learned several things I wasn't aware of as I paged through the Missing Manual, those items are also found in the Sprint Manual. The Missing Manual focuses more on the "gee whiz" aspects of the phone, the Palm manual states the features in a more prosaic fashion
There is a 17 page index which is quite complete. If you download the Pre manual in PDF format, an index is superfluous as you can use the search function in the reader software in its place.
Neither manual is able to give an up-to-date description of apps in the Palm app store, they are beginning to appear rapidly, and the rate of their appearance will only increase. For further information on the current state of Pre apps, you'll have to access one of the web sites that is devoted to the Pre. The apps that are available are also viewable on the Pre, but there is little detail included as to what they do. If the Pre is to become a major player in the smart phone market, it will need rapid development of interesting and practical apps to appeal to a broad swath of potential users. Perhaps O'Reilly should have a web site devoted to this book that updates the available apps and allows user comments and ratings of the apps.
K. Torbeck said
While the Palm Pre's WebOS interface may appear to be similar to the interface of the iphone it is in fact very evolutionary. Its card view makes it easy to switch from one application to another with just a flick of the finger and if you're done with an application all you need to do is flick it away to the top and it closes the application. One of my favorite features is called "Synergy" it lets you easy manage multiple email accounts and calendars all from one screen. Another one of my favorite features is it search feature. Simply start typing that it starts searching, first the phone (contacts, calendar, applications, etc), than Google, Wikipedia, and even Twitter.
This book has a lot of great tips to help you use this evolutionary new phone that should have been in the user guide if the phone came with a user guide. I strongly suggest buying this book for any Palm Pre or WebOS based phone users.
M. Broderick said
When I first laid hands on this book, I came with a pre(heh)-existing idea that it would be very useful for people who had never used a smart phone before, especially if they were uninterested in poring over internet forums, but of little use to anyone else. I think my opinion on the first group was right on the money--This book will be very valuable for a new smartphone user who is able to learn things from reading. I do think my theory on the second group was too pessimistic--The book is more valuable for experienced users than I'd first thought!
Novice users will find that the book is an excellent aid for them. Text explanations are clear, and screen shots show the Pre screen at different steps. The appropriate screen shot is nicely located next to the relevant text. A novice could get along without this book by studying the (non-paper)manual carefully and checking out online videos and reviews about the Pre, and asking questions in internet forums. But having the book will make the learning phase much easier and less frustrating.
For those who are experienced with smart phones (I fall in that category, have owned a Palm of some sort since 1999 and a Treo since 2005), you don't really need this book. You will get along fine by feeling your way and drawing on your experience, supplemented by reading the (virtual) manual and perhaps some time in an internet forum or two. _BUT_ your journey to Pre-ville will be faster and easier if you spend some time going through this book. This is a much higher endorsement than I'd expected to give before reading the book.
I've only spent about an hour going through the book so far (I can't imagine reading it from cover to cover, I just poke through it and read sections that strike my interest, and put it down till next time when I get bored or the real world intrudes). In that hour, I reassured myself on a couple of things, and actually learned two significant things I didn't know--One major, and one minor. For the record, the major thing I learned about was how to link reminders to contacts on the phone--This looks like it will be a very nice feature! I didn't know it existed till I read about it on page 62 of this book. The other feature is one that I was vaguely aware of, but didn't have a clue how to use--Conference calling on your Pre. It is covered on page 92, and I am now clear on how to use it so I can try it out and benefit from it.
To summarize, this book is a good example of it's breed, and will be useful to novices. For experienced users, it is a good way to sharpen your Pre skills, and is probably worth the $17 or so dollars Amazon charges!
Fozziliny G. Moo said
I'll start by saying that this book-- Palm Pre, The Missing Manual-- is a
must-have for any new Palm Pre owner. Sure, the pamphlet that comes with
the Palm Pre is adequate for getting you started and on your way, but there
are so many figurative nooks and crannies in the operation of the Palm Pre
that you won't even know about unless you've happened across them by
accident or you've read this book.
I've owned a Palm Pre since the first week it was available. A long-time
user of older Palm smartphones such as the Treo line and Centro, I
enthusiastically and anxiously followed the the technology news about the
forthcoming Pre. The concept of Synergy -- the Pre's software mechanism for
collecting data from various online sources such as GMail and Facebook into
centralized databases on the phone -- was incredibly appealing and
frightening at the same time. I often wondered if Palm really could pull it
off or if the Pre was going to be Palm's dying gasp and I would be left to
the mediocrity of Windows Mobile or Blackberry or the cult of conformation
using Apple's iPhone.
Thankfully, my experience with the Pre has given me hope. Being an early
adopter, I've had my shares of bumps along the way, but generally, the Pre
is an awesome device. Now that the Palm App Catalog is filling up with new,
exciting applications and there's talk of more operating system updates on
the horizon, I'm really enjoying myself with the Pre.
Let's get back to the book. Edward C. Baig's book seems fairly typical for
a "Missing Manual" book. It is fairly short, witty, funny, and packed full
of valuable information interspersed with plenty of callouts to "tips" and
"notes" along the way.
The book is extremely easy to read and shouldn't intimidate those who are
nowhere nearly as geeky as me. My daughter was easily digesting the book
before I started reading it and she's nine years old.
Had I had this book the first week I owned a Pre, it would have saved me
some frustration figuring out the best way to get my contacts and calendar
data onto the Pre.
Palm Pre, The Missing Manual is available directly from O'Reilly and
Associates and probably from any of your favorite online booksellers. The
MSRP is USD 24.99. That seems a bit much to me for what you get. Something ten dollars less would be more reasonable, I think.
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