I bit the bullet and bought a Galaxy Nexus. I love it. It's lighter, faster, and more responsive than the Charge. ICS is powerful and flexible. Battery life is pretty good too. Even with Roboto, the ICS keyboard, and ADW Launcher EX, the Charge just feels sluggish compared to the Nexus.
Honestly, I'm very frustrated at Verizon and Samsung regarding the Charge. They release a Droid-branded phone (which is supposed to be reserved for this high end phones), but drag their heels getting Gingerbread out for it. There's still no word about ICS, but given the similarities with the Charge and the Galaxy S (same CPU/GPU, same amount of RAM), I'm dubious that the Charge will get ICS. At best, it might get the lame "value pack" that Samsung is offering as the booby prize. This is unacceptable for a high-end $300 device.
I learned my lesson -- it's Nexus only for me from now on.