[IRMartin]

Well considering I'd be getting a 2-year contract to get the best price on the phone, I don't think dual core would be a bad investment if I plan on being stuck with the same phone for 2 years.

I stopped at Verizon and checked out the Droid 2, and HTC Thunderbolt briefly. Wasn't overly impressed with the Droid 2. Touch screen felt a little sluggish, not nearly as nice as my 2nd Gen iPod Touch. Also, the QWERTY keyboard I did not like nearly as much as the one on my ~4 year old LG EnV. So, I think more than likely, I'll wait for the Droid 3.

The Thunderbolt seemed pretty nice (nice screen and responsive), but I really want/need a physical keyboard.

The thing you need to consider then if you are going dual core, will the phone you choose get the update in the future that will make it dual core compatible? It's highly unlikely it will get that support.