I too wonder which Ross opted for. After all, he is our resident tech guru. The big question here is what you really need the phone for. Is it a toy or are you using it as a pda and require all the options.
First and foremost to me is service it's like saying would you rather be in the desert with a Ford and a full tank of gas or A Rolls Royce and an empty tank. Verizon without a doubt offers the best coverage with the least problems imho anyway.

For me, I was happy with Verizon so I wasn't willing to make a change just to get an I phone.
I'm sure its a good product but find it sort of unfair to be biased not having had the opportunity to try both.

My former phone which was a Palm Treo was truly a piece of crap. It crashed more times than a blind man at a demolition derby and ulimately the battery would no longer hold a charge either.
If that particular problem arose with the I phone, you have no option but to send it back to the factory for replacement. I would rather not be in that position.

Take everyone's input with a grain of salt, read reviews, try the product whichever one that might be and then make an informed choice