Thank you for posting your "real review" here. As you noted, most of us here do already own a pre -- but many of us (myself included) are still within our 30 day return window, which I guess means that for many the decision to stick with the pre is not yet final.
It's great to see that someone who perhaps has Palm's ear a little more than we do is posting on this forum. The battery concerns you raised have certainly been mirrored here, although, many of us have noticed the battery life mysteriously improving with use. Please do let us know if you notice this as well.
If you haven't already, perhaps it would be good to take some time to peruse the forums here and read both the praise and the criticisms that the pre has garnered here