I have the blackberry curve! It is the best phone I have ever had, my mom has the I phone and I like my phone more. The keyboard is nice for texting and writing e-mails. It has some cool applications. If I were you I would spend a little extra for the curve it's not much bigger and it has a full keyboard.
The curve isn't too bulky its actually a normal phone size.
There is a reason that they call it the crackberry!
They are addicting