Is the HTC Touch Pro right for me?

[StarOrc]

I'm looking at getting my first Smartphone and I really like what I've heard about this phone. However a friend suggested that I take a smaller step. I'm moving from a very basic phone, but want to be able to do more when I'm away from home.

My friend said that I should buy a cheaper phone and wait the year for an upgrade to either get the Touch Pro 2 or the Hero because those were the phones I was really looking for, but need to make a change before they will be available.

I read through more than half the reviews on the Sprint site and I got the impression that some phones were bad out of the box and that others didn't know what they were doing with the phone and caused their own problems, but the people who knew what they were doing and got good phones were very happy with them.

Is there a big learning curve with this phone for someone getting their first smartphone?

I'm pretty confidant doing things with my laptop and I have a couple friends who could point me in the right direction if I have a problem, plus I found this site. I'm just not sure if spending the money on this phone is the way to go for my first smartphone.

Sorry if this sounds a bit scatter-brained. I just want people's opinions of the phone and how hard it is to learn and I'm not sure what else. The phone is just pretty expensive and I don't want to buy it and not like it because its a lot to learn and then have issues because I don't know what I'm doing with it. Then realize later that if I had known what I was doing that the phone was very good.

Thanks

Corey