I have a 5800XM and I’ve been using it for around 1n half months. So far it is working great.
Touch screen input is reliable and easy to use, especially the full screen QWERTY KB for text and standard number pad for dialing. There are 4 input methods : Regular number pad with predictive text , full screen QWERTY, Mini QWERTY (you have to use the stylus because the keys are very small) and hand writing recognition (have to use the stylus, and IMO works pretty well, but I find the KB to be quicker).
It has tactile feedback in the form of vibration or audible sound when you touch a key. You might have to use your finger nail instead of the surface of your finger tip to get a very accurate response. Once you get used to it, it is not a problem. 5800 XM uses a resistive touch screen instead of a capacitive touch screen (i.e iPhone), therefore the sensitivity is somewhat less compared to an iPhone, but the advantage is that you can use just about anything with it (finger, stylus, even wearing gloves etc..), whereas with a capacitive screen you have to use your bare fingers (no stylus , can’t operate with gloves or any other objects).
I am using a screen guard to protect it from scratches, the screen guard does not interfere with touch sensitivity (at least I didn’t notice a difference, but then again I applied the screen guard after few hours of using the phone without one).
Before this I was using a Nokia 6110 Navigator and a Nokia N73 ME, compared to those I like 5800 the most. Battery life is really good. I use a stereo Bluetooth headset for music; both my N73 and 6110 used to run out after about 4 hrs of playback, but this last a lot more (now my BT headset runs out of battery before the phone).
I also find the Wi-Fi capability to be very useful, I use it a lot especially for Skype and also to IM/web browse when I’m not home (I’m not in SL, therefore Wi-Fi hot spots are very easy to find).
I also use the GPS, but I guess this is not a very important feature in SL, but what I wanted to say is that because of the battery now the GPS lasts more than twice as long as my previous 6110 navigator did.
It has a dedicated audio processor, therefore according to specs it can play music up to 35hrs. If you are going to use this as a music player then this feature might come very handy. Overall I think its a very good phone for the price, there are plenty of Symbian apps out there (more than Windows mobile), the only downside is the mediocre camera. Even my old N73's 3.2MP camera is better than this, but if camera is not a major concern then I think 5800Xm gives the best bang for the buck.
I don’t think you can find a Smartphone with a touch screen for the same price, maybe if you pay like 10k~15k more you might be able to get a Windows mobile smartphone like SE XPERIA X, Samsung Omnia or HTC Touch. I too considered all these, but later decided that they are not worth the money. And personally I like Symbian.
If you have any specific questions about 5800XM please ask, I'll try my best to answer them.
