Motorola Cliq XT / Quench

I need to figure out whether I'm going with this or the new myTouch 1.2... (I have a rooted G1 now, and not only is the battery life terrible, but it's big, and lacks headphone jack... but otherwise awesome) issue is that if I can't root this phone, it's a NO-GO for sure. Anyone able to root this thing? Also, can anyone give me a comparison of the battery life between this an G1?
I just want to make the right move when I go to the store and get stuck for another 2 years.

Thanks for any help with this.