The Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 (white edition) arrived in my hands in August, so I've had 6 months experience with it. Therefore I feel a bit more experienced with it than a beginner.
Since it first arrived, I've been bewitched by its many features. This is my first touch screen phone and although it took about a month just to figure out how to work everything, it's been a great experience.

What I love about this phone:

The Design - Before I got the phone, I decided to look at some video reviews to see how it worked and what it looked like; which actually put me off the phone. This was because it was presented as being a lot bigger than what it is. I'm not saying this phone is super slim and compact because it is a bit thicker than the majority of phones, but the review I watched must have had their camera zoomed in because it appeared twice as big in the video. I prefer that it's a bit bigger because you always know it's there, and I always seem to forget where I put phones so it's an added bonus for me.

Touch Screen - This is my first touch screen phone and I love using the touchscreen facility! I also feel that the touch screen is quite responsive compared to others that I have tried. The only issue is that when it turns on, the touch feature lags a little bit but that fixes itself in around twenty seconds.

Apps (Android Market) - This is also the first time I have used the android market and this is one of the best things about the phone! I've downloaded tons of apps and when I'm bored of them they're deleted to make more space! Deleting apps is really easy, you just hold your finger over the app and it'll give you the option. I was actually considering purchasing a Kindle instead of this phone, but the phone was a gift and when looking at the Android Market I got the Kindle app for free (which is amazing!). The screen is big enough to read from and you can lock the page so that the light stays on which is another plus. It also has a zoom feature, and it automatically opens the last page you were on (on each book).

The earphone input - This is great because it fits all regular earphones (I think it's a 3mm jack if that's what earphones usually are). One of the issues I usually have with phones is that they come with really uncomfortable earphones which can't be changed but this phone doesn't have that problem.

Two Back Cover Designs - The white version of this phone comes with a plain white back as well as a white and blue back. I love this subtle ability to change the look of the phone and because they were free - even better!

What I don't feel is good about this phone:

Battery Life - Recently the phone's battery life has started to drain quite quickly. When I first got it, it could have gone a week at a time for battery, but it lasts three days if I'm lucky. I've checked battery use but it doesn't seem to make it operate for longer. I believe the phone is still under warranty so if it gets any worse I'll have to see if it can be fixed. This is the most prominent problem although I'm getting used to it needing charged more. In all honesty even if I had to charge it every day I'd still be happy because I love the phone's features.

SD Card Location - I find that the location of the (Micro) SD card slot is a bit inconvenient because you need to remove the back cover. This is probably more of a disadvantage to me because my old phone had it in the side which was a lot easier.

Back Cover - The back cover is secured by clips and when first putting it on and off it is a bit daunting because it sounds like cracking. It's not really a serious disadvantage but I thought I should inform you about it in the event where you do buy this phone.

Other aspects:
There are the typical features on the phone such as an alarm, calendar etc. but the phone also has timescape, places, wisepilot, maps; as well as lots of others. However, I don't use the majority of the included apps, so I can't really inform you about those.

Conclusion:
This phone is approximately £80 to buy now, it is definitely worth that price, and it looks good. It has great features and if I had to make the choice over again I would want it again. The battery life is a big issue but it could just be my phone or there could be some setting that I've changed that's affected it. In my opinion this phone is great, but if battery life is an important factor for you I would consider alternatives as well.