Which Blackberry Pearl should I get?

So… I’ve pretty much decided to get a Pearl. Mostly because the iPhone still costs $400 and still has no speed dial and the favorites is to cumbersome. My question is about which one to get, with which service. Sprint and Verizon have the newer version of the phone, but what’s the bigger picture?

I’ve heard of problems with accessing Goggle Maps for mobile on the Verizon version of this phone (this is the “Pearl 2” that’s only on Sprint and Verizon) and while I’ve read about fixes, I’ve also heard (from Verizon, basically) that the GPS is disabled for the Google App because Verizon wants to push people toward their Navigator app, which costs $10/mo (but sucks).

Does anyone know if Sprint does the same thing? Anyone have direct experience with using these newer Pearls? With using these newer apps w/ GPS? With using the GPS on the phones period?