Welcome Steve..
You picked the best spot for info...and phone! Lots 'o folks ready to help you out.
I've had no issues with my stock Rezound out of the box. Had it now since the end of November 2011 and it's been really a treat. I'm new to the smartphone world and love'n it. The camera, screen, and speed are all just insane. I use it mainly for communications and snapshots as I have no home phone and my 2 Nikons are sitting there wondering why I won't take them out
. Funny, the speed of 3G here is faster on my phone using the internet than it is using Verizon's DSL dry loop in the house. Many here use the extended battery if you download a lot of stuff or watch videos or just to have that extra juice for whatever. Depending on how you set up your phone will make a big difference with how long your stock battery goes.
Enjoy