Word leaked over the weekend about Sony Ericsson's first Android-powered smartphone and it looked like a winner. Well, today we've learned that the company will be layering on its own custom user interface on top of the Linux-based OS, and it also looks pretty good.To recap, the smartphone is code-named "Rachael" and it is expected to be the next generation in the company's Xperia line. Reports say it will run on Qualcomm's zippy 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, and it will have 3D graphics, a whopping 8-megapixel camera, and it will be capable of 7.2 Mbps downlink speeds.

Even the most die-hard Android fan will admit that the UI is still a bit rough around the edges, although the 1.5 update did clean up a lot. Sony Ericsson's UI will reportedly put some nice makeup on Android, and the demo video below looks really sleek and intuitive.

Sony Ericsson won't the first to have a customized UI, as HTC's Hero will also rock the Sense UI to help differentiate from the competitors. It will be very interesting to watch which companies can pull this off, and which companies inevitably bungle it.