I'm afraid I don't agree with the Sony Ericsson views on here, I love them and it's the only phone I'll get! Mine have always lasted well past the full year on contract, and all of them still work perfectly with excellent battery life. Nokia on the other hand, my DH used to love them but the last 3 Nokia phones he's had have all broken before the contract was up and the battery life is about 3 hours.
Don't shy away from Sony Ericsson because of what has been said, simply make sure you do a lot of research and read a bunch of reviews before you make up your mind.
As for what phone to suggest, I have no idea. Gotta start looking for myself again soon as well as I'm due a new one in December.