All the questions have been pretty much answered, but to see why GMaps 4.0 is better than anything else out there, just look at this page and you'll see why:
http://www.google.com/mobile/maps/
Yes, GMaps 4.0 has voice search, and you'll notice that the navigation itself is much more like a real GPS than Sprint Navigation is, not to mention it has satellite view. Street View when coming close to your destination is also a real plus.
I don't use my phone for many of those things you listed, so I can't comment on them, but for overall smartphone basics, Android just does it better. My gf has the Hero and I have the TP2, and I'm jealous sometimes, even though she's still only running Android 1.6. It's simply faster, easier, prettier, and super customizable right out of the box.