Sony Ericsson has finally put a firm US release date on their XPERIA X1 smartphone. Fans of the WinMo 6.1 powerhouse can breathe a sigh of relief, as rumors of it’s release slipping into next year were entirely unfounded. The unit will be released on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Head on over to your favorite retail center on November 28th and battle it out with parents looking for a Wii in order to obtain this $799.99 smartphone. The company offers no word regarding a subsidized version for any US carrier.

Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer recently let some details go regarding the impending release of Windows Mobile 6.5. Motorola recently leaked that the OS was in the cards and Ballmer confirmed it. He didn’t go into details regarding specs, but he did hint at an improved UI. He also noted it would be the first Windows Mobile release to have Zune software integration. Windows Mobile 6.5 will probably see release in the first couple of months of 2009.