1. First, get your serial number.  Don’t crack open the case, it’s under Device Info on the third page of the launcher.

   

2. For the Pre, we care about the 6th, 7th, and 8th numbers — the 6th is a code for the month, the 7th is the day, and the 8th is the last number of the year.
3. Use the list below to find your Pre’s birthday:

   1	Jan
   2	Feb
   3	Mar
   4	Apr
   5	May
   6	Jun
   7	Jul
   8	Aug
   9	Sep
   A	Oct
   B	Nov
   C	Dec
   
   1	1
   2	2
   3	3
   4	4
   5	5
   6	6
   7	7
   8	8
   9	9
   A	10
   B	11
   C	12
   D	13
   E	14
   F	15
   G	16
   H	17
   I	18
   J	19
   K	20
   L	21
   M	22
   N	23
   O	24
   P	25
   Q	26
   R	27
   S	28
   T	29
   U	30</code>
   V	31

Mine was born on May 31, 2009…only a week before I bought it! Most of the dates I’ve seen are within the last half of May. When was YOURS born? Let me know in the comments!

PS:  And yes, I did set up a birthday remember for the lil’ guy.

About the author: Lisa Brewster is a project manager and startup advisor in San Diego, CA. Subscribe to this blog by RSS or email, or follow me on Twitter for more updates.

I love just about everything about the Pre’s mail application, but since it’s built for all mail services the delete button really, you know…deletes stuff, which isn’t optimal for Gmail users who are used to the archive button.  Fortunately, I found his quick little hack to enable archive functionality:

1. Open the Mail application and go into Preferences and Accounts.
2. Under accounts, tap your Gmail account
3. Under Default Folders, change the trash folder to [Gmail]/All Mail

That’s it!  Since this hack usurps the delete functionality, I’d still prefer that Palm add a dedicated “move to folder” button.  This button could, for example, move the message to a “default” folder when tapped, or pop up a list to choose the one you want if you tap and hold.  Still, the workaround is preferable for those of us who can’t live without archive.

Update: Lifehacker commenters mentioned that the Pre does allow you to move mail to a folder, but for me this would take 5 taps: menu > move to folder > scroll, scroll (I have a lot of tags) > All Mail.  Like most hacks, changing the delete folder isn’t perfect but for some it may be better than the alternative.

In response to being asked how the Pre compares to the iPhone:

In all fairness…I’ve been a Palm fan for years, but I’m not too brainwashed to say that there’s a place in the market for both. Pre and the iPhone each have pros and cons, and the Pre meets my needs the best. For me, having a physical keyboard, carrier availability, and choice of development platform are high priorities. YMMV.

Now with that said, WebOS and Synergy are amazing new technologies that are full of possibilities, but I fairly and lovingly admit that certain aspects of the Pre reinforce the fact that it’s a v1.02 device. Things you’ll love: everything about the hardware, how easily it integrates with online services, beautiful multitasking, gps navigation, and push email. Things you might not like: unoptimized calendar experience, short battery life, and limited application selection. The people currently best suited for the Pre are early adopters, users without advanced requirements, and linux hackers (I’m trying to find a way to SSH into my phone as I write this). Since there are so many people excited about this device, I hope to see Palm engaging the community to incorporate our feedback into future updates (which I expect within a month or two).

…that got a bit too involved, didn’t it? The Pre’s a great phone. Buy it, bitches.