Trouble at first, but smooth now

I've owned this phone now for about 10 months, having received it in February 2008.  Initially I had some problems with the battery, which forced me to return it to the local Sprint service center within 3 days of purchase.  The battery life was very poor, lasting only about 8-10 hours or so, even in full standby mode and not using it AT ALL.  When charging, the battery became quite hot.  Fortunately Sprint swapped the unit after only a few minutes of explaining the issue.

Since then, the phone has served me well.  It has been reliable, however looking back, I probably could have picked up a Mogul instead.  I say this because the interface is a bit clunky on the Touch, and I don't really use the "Touch" interface with the exception of the speed dial feature.  The only drawback to the Mogul is that it is significantly bulkier than this unit.  I also find myself wishing that this unit had a QWERTY keypad, as it would be quicker and easier to use than the onscreen keyboard. 

The phone normally sits idle in Windows Mobile mode, and a single swipe of your finger up the screen brings up the touch menu where you can fiddle with the phone's settings and access internet, TV, etc.  There has been a recent patch/firmware update that added a few minor quality-of-life features.  The speed dial is a nice feature...simply touch the icon of the person you want to call (you can take a photo and make an icon out of it)...nice.  All of the Windows applications have been functioning well, it runs Word, Excel, and Outlook just fine, but the built-in games are a letdown (where's the Freecell man?).

Overall, this unit is extremely sleek and sexy...it's jightweight and has a passable video/still camera built in.  A MicroSD card slot makes for plenty of storage space if needed.  The exterior is matte black, with a very classy smooth (yet textured) finish that has held up extremely well over the last 10 months.  In fact, it still looks brand new.  This is a nice smartphone that will serve just fine as a personal organizer, phone, camera, etc., and the expandability with all the available Windows applications is great.  Note...a coworker of mine recently picked one up as well, and she is having the same battery issue I did, so know that this may be a relatively common problem.  If you are considering buying one, pay close attention to battery life when first setting it up.  To give an idea, I use my phone for perhaps 2 calls per day, but use it extensively as my calendar, contacts list, etc., and a full charge will last me about 2-3 days with regular use.