I use Verizon as well. They've got the best coverage in this area (and likely most of the U.S.). In that respect, I like Verizon. They are (around here), the best provider of wireless services, in terms of reliability.
On the flip side, they're the stingiest provider that acts like the Microsoft of the wireless phone industry. They want TOTAL control and EVERYTHING must go through them - you can't buy games or apps. from a 3rd party - you can only buy them through Verizon's "Get it Now" service - BLAH!
The wife and I upgraded to the LC8300 phone a few months back. They're good phones and have gotten very good reviews (dare I say the best phones of their class?)
Like TimothyC said, Verizon is notorious for reprogramming their phones and/or locking out features. On the 8300, the locked out the MP3 feature, but it is easy to unlock it. PISS on Verizon for even trying that! WTF!
Aside from stupid crap like that, this phone isn't the smallest or most compact phone around, but it's got all the necessities of a communicator, plus some nice bells and whistles.
Not sure what package you signed up for, Boingo_Buzzard, but I got the 450 minutes plan, with the mobile web 2.0 option (that's version 2.0, not "Web 2.0"). Mobile web costs $5.00 a month extra, and costs minutes during peak time, but it's great for checking e-mail on the go, getting local weather forecasts or looking up things of interest when stuck somewhere for a while with time to kill.
I can download games, but most of them do not cost minutes when I play them - only the specified games cost minutes. I currently only have Ms. Pacman and I can play it until my battery dies without it costing me a thing. It looks and plays much like the real game (except the ghosts only stay blue for a fraction of the time they should). I'd buy more games, but they're really difficult to control on my phone because I have that leather cover thing that completely covers the controller part and makes it hard to play as my fingers have nothing to feel for while playing and I keep pressing in the wrong areas.
Good to have some protection on the phone though - these things ain't exactly built to last.
If you'd like to convert and load music to your phone free of charge, look in to a software package called "BitPim". It's an open source utility that supports most modern wireless phones and might convert the files for you (or have a tip as how to do so). I almost went with the Razor phone, but its inability to play MP3 files stopped me. The funny thing is that I don't play MP3's on my phone as it stands now! (go figure) No time to play with that feature and only have limited memory (buying a memory card ain't in the budget right now). I use BitPim to transfer photos and videos from my phone to my computer and vice-versa.
If you want a PSP with a phone built in, you should put your wireless phone and PSP in to that transport pod from the film The Fly (80's version), and transported them together, where they would have come out the other side merged.
