I mostly focus on BlackBerrys for CIO.com, and I've penned handfuls of tips and tricks stories for RIM smartphone users. This week, it's time to spread the love. I've barely put down the Palm Pre since it arrived at my desk this week, and I've come up with quite a few Pre tips, tricks and shortcuts, the best of which I'm sharing below.

The Palm Pre

The Pre has both a touch display and a physical, full QWERTY keyboard, unlike any BlackBerry on the market--nope, RIM's Magnum is not available quite yet. As such, the Pre device has tricks and features that require just the touch display, only the keyboard, or a combination of the two.

Read on for my first batch of Palm Pre tips, tricks, shortcuts and gestures.

1) Set Sleep Mode

To enter Sleep Mode on the Pre, click the Power button once. The Power button is located on the right side of the Pre's top panel. To exit Sleep Mode, tap Power one more time.

2) Quickly Power Off Your Pre

Press and hold the Power button for five seconds until an on-screen prompt appears. Tap the Turn Off option and your device powers down.

3) Enter Airplane Mode

The Pre's Airplane Mode deactivates the device's cellular radio, so you can employ your Pre while in-flight. You can use all the device's features while in Airplane Mode, but you can't place cellular voice calls. You can, however, use Wi-Fi to surf the Web.

Palm Pre Turn Off/Airplane Mode Screen

I found two ways to quickly enter Pre Airplane Mode. First, you can hold the Power button for five seconds and then choose the Airplane Mode option that appears in the on-screen prompt. Or, you can simply tap the upper right corner of your Pre's screen, where your Wi-Fi, cellular coverage and battery indicators live, and pick Turn on Airplane Mode from connections box.

Note: If you're using a Wi-Fi network when you activate Airplane Mode you'll need to reconnect by turning the Pre's Wi-Fi back on again. To do so, click the Wi-Fi icon on your home screen.