[Critical]

Originally Posted by bacci paintball

I want to pick up a smart phone, mostly to surf the internet at work and do some word processing so I put together a big list of questions for anyone who can help me. I would appreciate all the help I can get. Hopefully what I wrote is somewhat coherent. I am dead tired from crawling under houses all day and cutting my arms up and I can barely keep my eyes open right now.

Choices for smart phones, with minor exceptions lean towards three options:
Windows Mobile
Palm OS
BlackBerry

Word processing is a PITA on any of them, I have occasion to have to view various pdf, word and excel files on my phones, and I can honestly tell you that just viewing these files is enough to make me want to throw them, I can't imagine trying to edit anything on them. (with the exception of very simple text entry).

Originally Posted by bacci paintball

I also want to be able to switch between web and word processing in a flash.

Not a problem with any of the OS's.

Originally Posted by bacci paintball

The main sites I visit are MCB, ebay, and gmail. Which phones in your opinion do these site look the best on, load fastest, operate easiest, especially for you mcb junkies.

Ebay has a mobile version, it doesn't have all the pretty stuff, but you can get around in it easily enough. Gmail has a software client for any of the OS's that you can install, or you can use the onboard mail client of the phone. As far as MCB, if there is a mobile version, I haven't seen it, what you would want to see in a phone is an HTML browser, if it's not, you will probably not enjoy browsing MCB, or other non-mobile websites, since it will take a long time to load each page and it will be huge on your screen.

Originally Posted by bacci paintball

I have been looking around and have liked some of the Blackberries (the curve and the 8800 (I think that is the new model) but I am not sure if I like the look of the web on them.
I have heard that the Black Berries can open word docs but not edit them? Is there another non-Microsoft program available for blackberries that can edit word doc files?
Also, are you able to change the options on the Blackberries (options or mods, ect?) to be able to use a curser instead of the scrolling select?

The Curve series is the newest model, for most carriers, it is the most consumer friendly (versus business or government). It is the 83xx series. Blackberries can open word, but, like you said, a separate program is required to edit. There are very nice shareware programs out there that work well. As far as changing to a cursor, no. BlackBerrys have either a scroll wheel on the side, or the little white button on the front for navigating the screens. BlackBerrys are the least "friendly" when it comes to interface. Nothing against them, they were designed for fast, simple, one-handed operation.

Originally Posted by bacci paintball

I like the ability for wi/fi which the new blackberry model has.

Correct, 83xx series has wi-fi, depending on carrier. However, there are other phones out there that also have wi-fi.

Originally Posted by bacci paintball

Also, I have heard that you can get certain models of Blackberries and have they run the internet through your PC. I think this is called Wireless G. Do only certain phone support this feature?

Depending on the carrier, they may or may not allow this feature. It is sometimes called tethering, or Phone-as-Modem. At least for Sprint (my employer) any of the smartphones can tether, for an additional fee. This is truly the best way to access the internet with a phone, since you don't have to view it on the tiny screen, however, you lose the ability to make and receive calls. Many phones have a bluetooth profile that allows you to tether without a cord.

Originally Posted by bacci paintball

I have tried the Palm Treo that one of my co workers has and it is nifty but I don't like the stylus.

The palm is a clean, simple interface, it has suffered from not having a major update in several years, and when using them, once you learn the buttons, you may not need the stylus all that much. Also, the stylus makes hitting small links or buttons much easier.

Originally Posted by bacci paintball

I have looked at the I-Phone but the lack of being able to copy and paste and being unable to select text altogether kills it for me. Also, I want to have expandable memory (memory card) and I tried to but couldn't really get used to the touch screen keyboard on it (I think it's because of my fat manly fingers).

The I-Phone was not designed for any kind of actual work, they made it solely for us Apple fanboys to look cool while not being able to do anything.

Originally Posted by bacci paintball

I also would like the ability to customize/hack (do people even use this word any more?) for other abilities/ cool features.

This ability is all but eliminated from the current generation of phones. With a few minor exceptions, what you buy is what you get.

Originally Posted by bacci paintball

Another feature that would be a plus would be the ability to somehow be able to transfer pictures from my canon dslr somehow? Are there any smartphones that are able to connect usb devices? Also, I don't need a camera phone built in. Can any of these devices play videos on them?

Most smartphones use a microSD memory card that uses the same protocol as standard SD. If your camera uses SD, you can use the adapter that makes the MicroSD fit into standard SD slots in your camera, and then just take it out and put it in your phone. Having a camera built-in is also a standard feature, but for the most part, they stink, so you won't be using it anyway. At least for Sprint, all of our current smartphones can play video.

Originally Posted by bacci paintball

Also, any neat phone models/features coming out soon that I should wait for?

There is always something new coming out.