Sony Xperia X1 Hitting Stores In NovemberSony Xperia X1 Hitting Stores In November

The long-awaited Sony Xperia X1 will be available in the United States for $799 unlocked at Sony Style stores and authorized retailers beginning Nov. 28.

Since its debut in April, smartphone fans have been looking forward to the Windows Mobile-powered handset. It has a stylish design with a large 3-inch touch screen and a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard.

Although it's powered by Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the X1 features a unique panel interface that gives users one-touch access to games, applications, and Web features. Sony Ericsson has released software development kits to help spur the developer community to create new and innovative panels.

The X1 could make a good handset for mobile professionals as it's capable of receiving push corporate e-mails and calendars. Customers can also use the integrated Wi-Fi for Web browsing or hop on a 3G network for connectivity on the go. A mobile Office suite is onboard so users can view and edit Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other files.

The smartphone has built-in GPS that can use the cellular data networks for location-based searches and navigation. There's only 400 MB of internal memory, but that can be bulked up to 16 GB via a microSD slot.

Sony Ericsson's smartphone also could make for a robust multimedia player, as it can play various formats of audio and video. There's also a built-in radio player, a 3.2-megapixel camera with video capabilities, Bluetooth version 2.0, and picture-editing software onboard.

Sony Ericsson has been hit with some tough business months, and it has been hoping the X1 could help turn the tide. But the relatively high price may make some balk, particularly as competitors like the iPhone 3G, T-Mobile's G1, and the BlackBerry Bold can be had for less with or without a contract. Additionally, the economic slowdown may take a bit out of the X1's sales, as major consumer electronics retailers are bracing for a drop in consumer spending.