I got this phone after having used both a Motorola V600 and V551 on Cingular. It's better than both. Verizon service in Los Angeles is much better than Cingular, for starters, but the V710 is better than the other phones too. First, the screen is huge and bright. Better than the others. And like the V551, but unlike the V600, when using the phone with a bluetooth headset, the phone will ring (in addition to the headset), which is a huge plus. The negatives: the keypad is lousy, the camera is lousy, the external disply does not show the time when not lit, and the phone is larger than the GSM models. But those are all worthwhile sacrifices for better service. And for all of the complaining about the crippled bluetooth, it isn't a big deal at all. Using mobile phonetools you can still sync your phonebook with Outlook using bluetooth. Bluetooth headsets also work great. The only bluetooth "loss" is the ability to transfer ringtones. Not such a big deal, if you ask me. This phone has just been replaced by the Motorola e815. For the price difference, I'd get the V710. The newer one addresses all of the negatives mentioned, but at a ~$125 price premium, which just doesn't seem worth it. And you loose analog in the new one, which only matters if you travel in the middle of nowhere often. At the end of the day, if Verizon has the best service in your area, this phone is a steal at its current price. You can disregard all reviews older than Feb 2005 since the phone had a lot of issues that were corrected with a revision around that date (earpiece volume, etc.).