So, Here's the thing: The cell phone I have right now, a Sanyo Katana 2 on Sprint, has served me well so far. The basic features of good call quality and web browser adequate for checking emails or doing a location search were enough. Until now. What's changed is the need for a device that does more, and that takes me into the heavenly realm of the current smartphone and PDA Phone market. I've spent a lot of time looking at reviews on lots of sites and blogs for my idea of a perfect PDA phone. LOTS of time. There have been days when I had to leave the computer and take a walk to look at the nature outside because I feared I would go blind.
My filters are simple. Obviously, the call quality needs to be pretty darn good, first of all. Messaging, especially email and IM are important to me...and I only need them to be reliable and user-friendly. Also, because I plan to take advantage of the office applications (especially word processing) common to smartphones and PDA phones, I'm looking for a comfortable keyboard experience. In other words, FUNCTION over all. The wow factor is nice, but we all know that it wears off, and if it's the only deciding factor, the end of the romance is ugly.
I'll spare you numerous other smartphone/PDA devices I've pretty much ruled out for various reasons, and get to the sweet stuff.
These are the two most likely contenders. According to the rumors flying around, they could both end up at AT&T. That'll be my new carrier of choice for the lucky unit, because AT&T Wireless' plan modules suit my needs better than anything I could get from my current carrier, Sprint. I'm hoping to avoid the unlocked route, since I know that leads to a potentially difficult education for an intermediate personal tech user like me.
HTC Touch Pro 
According to the info I've read, this is the next generation of the HTC 8925, a.k.a. TyTn 2, AT&T Tilt, Sprint Mogul, etc. It features a left-sliding QWERTY keyboard, touch screen, HTC's "Touch Flo" interface for initial access to main functions. It runs Windows Mobile, including the mobile version of Microsoft Office. The build quality looks pretty good, though I've seen several reviews pointedly mentioning it's resemblance to a brick...and sure, that's noticeable, but not of huge importance to me. There are numerous reviews of this badboy out there. I've watched a fair few "hands-on" and "unboxing" videos on YouTube, and checked out many review articles. For a start, check this one out at Gizmodo.
As of this post, The latest rumor I've seen about Carrier Branding here in the U.S. is that it will be branded by AT&T as the "Fuze." It's only a rumor at this point, and as far as I know, the point of origin is a blurb at WMExperts. And that doesn't mean other U.S. carriers won't pick it up as well. The general chatter is that this may appear in the U.S. sometime in September or October.
Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 
According to Sony, this is the "flagship" of the Xperia line of devices. I gotta admit, it's a pretty sexy launch unit. This, too, sports a touch screen with a distinctive user interface they simply refer to as "panels." The sliding QWERTY keyboard has an oh-so-slight concave arch to it, being both artistic and slightly more comfortable in the hand (I'm guessing). The Xperia X1 also runs Windows Mobile. Its construction is pretty impressive, too. Besides just looking solid, it has stainless steel elements in the outer shell. There isn't nearly as much information available (as far as reviews and chatter) on this one yet. I'm thinking that might be because it's being talked about for a November-ish release. There may not be many reviews, but I have a great one for you. Head on over to The Boy Genius Report to find out much more about this delicious phone.
In all my swimming through reviews of these two tasty devices (and all the others I've cut from the running), I've gotten a bit of an education about expectations versus reality. Generally, the official release shows off the device's potential. Then, when it's picked up by a carrier, it gets loaded with the carrier's branding software (so often referred to as "bloatware"). Many times, this reduces or removes some of the features that make a device so attractive. So, as much as I am in love with both of these honeys, common sense tells me to calm down a bit and watch what happens. As far as it goes, I'm leaning toward the HTC Touch Pro, just because it's supposed to be coming sooner.
Upcoming: Open Office rocks, and More on Firefox v. IE
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Of course the Touch Pro 2 is an improvement over the original, inside and out. The hardware overhaul includes a larger screen, the clunky and space-eating D-pad has been replaced with a more sensible row of navigation keys, and the side-sliding QWERTY keypad has been revamped into a more familiar offset pattern like a regular computer keyboard. HTC even brought back the tilting screen from the HTC Tilt (a.k.a. TyTn) from a couple of years ago, which is a great feature for setting the phone on a table to watch video content.
Under the hood are the expected improvements in the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, with the carrier specific user interface going deeper into the menu system than the original HTC Touch Pro. It's just speedier and more user-friendly than before.
