HTC Magic

Pros: Customization. Can't say it enough.
Excellent UI.
Copy and paste.
Above average media capabilities.
Android Market.
More sex-appeal than previous Android handsets.
Many incremental improvements to the Android OS in v. 1.5.

Cons: Battery life an issue.
No 3.5mm headphone jack built-in.
Middle of the road camera with no flash.
Below-average video recording.
Lack of multi-touch.
Could use more flash memory on-board for application storage.

Summary: Having followed Android for a long time, I must say I am thrilled by the Ion/Magic's capabilities as a smart-phone and the huge step forward it is, both in comparison with the and in the smart-phone arena in general.

Let me start with the OS. Android 1.5 is, in many respects, the most advanced smart-phone OS to date. It borrows heavily from the good things started by the iPhone (capacitive touch, pervasive gesture control, menu scrolling with inertia etc.) It is an extremely easy to pick up and use, icon driven interface. I have two brothers-in-law, one 8 and one 12, parents (coming up on their 50s), and others who have never used a smart-phone before that I was able to just hand my phone to and let them go. They were able to access the bulk of the phone's features without so much as a prompt from me. The icons are big, well-labeled, and very responsive to your touch. Scrolling through menus and web-pages is a dream and a flick of the finger applies just the right amount of inertia. Nothing could feel more natural.

Yes, the UI is great, but better still is the vast extendability and customization options offered by the underlying, Open Source, Android OS. The Android market, though perhaps still lacking in quantity compared to the App Store, offers something iPhone users may never see; a completely open experience, including apps that replace wholesale, the core functions of the phone, right down to the home-screen UI. Don't like the way the phone handles messaging? Grab a new application that will handle all of your messaging needs. Don't like the browser experience (mentioned in CNET's review)? Go grab a new browser (Steel and Opera Mini offer great alternatives). Don't like having just three home-screen panels? Grab an app that replaces your home-screen entirely and get more customization, including skins, icon packs, and more! (Thank you BetterHome!) And all of this complete customization right from the Android Market and requiring no form of "jail-breaking."

Of course, there are some obvious flaws which the review, and my cons, address, but if you can get past these niggling tid-bits, then you are in for the smart-phone experience everyone truly deserves, and one that is sure to just keep getting better and better.