Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (silver, unlocked)

Pros: -Windows Mobile 6.1
-Sleek, compact, very attractive design
-Full, tactile keyboard
-Excellent battery life
-Panel interface
-Touchscreen

Cons: -Lagging and sluggish loading
-Keys difficult to press
-Touchscreen interface not finger-friendly, and recessed
-Windows lags and bugs
-Exorbitant price tag.

Summary: Honestly, this is a fantastic phone, one of the very best, most convenient, and definitely the most attractive piece of hardware that I've bought so far. That being said, all the hype over it's release it just that: A lot of hype, with much left to be desired.

My favorite aspect of this phone has to be the design. The metal finish is gorgeous, feels very solid and sturdy, and the size is perfect. It fits in the hand very nicely, and looks very sleek. The screen is decently sized, not as large as the iPhone, and definitely doesn't respond as well. It's great with a stylus and moderate with finger use, yet doesn't have the intuitive feel of the iPhone, nor the smooth interaction, and is slightly recessed, which attracts a surprisingly annoying amount of dust. Still, the touchscreen aspect is definitely a plus.

The arced slide-out keyboard is a nice touch, feels very natural, and not bulky at all, though at times can seem cramped, especially the very top row, which sits nearly flush beneath the screen, due to the slight arc. The keys have very little tactile feel to them, and getting used to the fact that they sit nearly flush down doesn't help, though they're spaced out pretty well. The keyboard is spring-assisted, which has a great, solid feel.

Software is Windows Mobile, and really, I can't see why they added the .1 to the 6. It doesn't seem any different, save that the text messaging lags horribly after letting you know that your message was sent, freezing up for a good 5-10 seconds afterward. And Internet Explorer is still one of the worst browsers I've used, though the phone does come with Opera Mobile, which does decently, and you can always download Skyfire, which works very well, much faster than either IE or Opera.

The main aspect of the software that's just plain cool is the panel interface, which let's you customize the phone, with up to nine panels to place. I found that I really didn't use more than about 3 or 4 on any given day, though they do have pretty interesting ones, like a Facebook and 3D fish panel. (The fish change color when you have a message, call, email, etc., right off the top of my head, I couldn't tell you which color represents what.) Very cool idea from Sony.

Network connection was easy enough, and the phone recognized the AT&T network easily enough, setting connections, but I still haven't manged to get the 3G. I think this might be an AT&T issue, because after contacting the Sony, I don't see any problem with the phone itself. So be forewarned, AT&T users, you could have issues.

Worst part of this phone: The price. I had to have a friend of mine buy it overseas and send it unlocked. Grossly overpriced, especially with the trial issues and bugs in the software. I love it, and the customization available through the Windows and Sony partnership, but really, it's not everything that it's been hyped to be.