Cell phone advice

Can anyone on here give me some good advice on cell phones? Since the holidays are coming up I figured this was a good time to ask for a new one since all I've ever had are hand-me-downs from my parents, but I want to see what my options are before I settle on anything.

In terms of functionality, I can't really make up my mind on what features I want, but since I like to play around with gadgets I figure anything will do. What I'm having trouble deciding is whether it's more sensible to buy a phone straight from my provider (Verizon) or to buy a phone somewhere else and unlock it. Also, I'm considering a feature like VZ Navigator, but does something like this usually require an extra service plan? If anyone has some answers or could point me to a good site for information, I'd really appreciate it.

Jam it back in, in the dark.