Xperia X1: Sony Ericsson's Best Hope

To say that the Xperia X1 has been long-awaited is like saying the ocean is wet. Announced over seven months ago, the X1 was meant to be Sony Ericsson's flagship device, a phone that would set itself apart from the company's batches of uninspiring phones. Unfortunately, long delays and a serious lack of information plagued the launch of the quad-band smartphone, and it was only earlier this month that the device started shipping.

But what a device it is. With one of the highest-resolution touch-screen displays in the business (800 x 480 pixels), a slide-out keyboard, and a wealth of connectivity options (GSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 850/1900/2100, WLAN, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP), the X1 quite simply raises the bar for all smartphones everywhere.

The Xperia X1 marks Sony Ericsson's first foray into strictly phone design while outsourcing the manufacturing process to fellow smartphone maker HTC. The phone also packs Windows Mobile 6.1, again a first for the company - earlier Sony Ericsson smartphones ran on a modified version of the Symbian operating system.

Other features include a 3.2 megapixel camera (30 fps VGA video recording), integrated GPS (+A-GPS), 3.5 mm audio jack, an optical trackpad, and up to 10 hours of battery life.

Find the lowest prices on the Xperia X1 phone.