Each iteration of Sony's flagship device has improved and been better than the previous version, but no single attempt has been just right. The Xperia TL, available now on AT&T, is as close as the company has come to finding the smartphone sweet spot, but is that good enough to rival other Android manufacturers?

James Bond seems to think so. The Xperia TL gets quite a bit of product placement in the latest flick, Skyfall, popping up as Britain's greatest fictional spy goes on missions to save the world and get the girl. If it's good enough for the world's most debonair spy, surely it's good enough for the average gentleman or lady.

The Samsung Galaxy Note II is big. Colossally big. It's important to get that description out of the way because anyone who sees or holds the Galaxy Note II will have no choice but to be taken aback by how large is the phone-meets-tablet.

The same predicament made doubters believe that the original Galaxy Note was too big to succeed, but millions of phones sold later, that proved to be a false prediction. The Galaxy Note II is a smooth and dynamic experience from top to bottom. It's probably too big as a phone or too small as a tablet for most, but many will find it's a comfortable compromise between the two form factors.