[Riley]

here are a couple other possible solutions.

1) I leave the phone in my pocket, I can't say how many times I've called people unintentionally or dropped calls when I'm trying to remove the phone from my pocket.
You can also set the phone to lock but holding the end key. Start>Settings>System tab>Long Press end key.

4) You can't dial by "feel". I guess this is just the nature of the beast with touch screens.
Try touch response. it's a cab floating around.

5) Why can't the phone rotate the screen easily in all modes? When it does rotate it's slow to do so when it does rotate.
You may just want to use the built in rotate screen option. rotate when you want then. probably will use less battery as well. Start>Settings>Personal>Buttons>assign rotate screen from the list below.