motorola v551 or motorola v557 or nokia 6102 ?

I went to a Cingular store yesterday and here is the skinny about the V551 and V557. Apparently, the V551 (which is a blue phone) had a bunch of software issues like dropped calls, interference and such. Moto then came out with the V557 to replace that model. The phone is exactly the same (although it's now black) with one big exception--it has a live news and sports ticker that runs like a scroll along the bottom of the phone continuously. It's free, but of course you can upgrade to "channels" that require you to subscribe to the service. I had the same experience as you where I went to a 3rd party Cingular dealer and she had the V551 on display. I knew that I wanted the V557 and she tried to play it like the V551 was the same. Then mysteriously, she pulled out a V557 but said she didn't have any of those. Only a bit later did I learn about the issues with the V551. Had I been really anxious to make a purchase right there, I would have been the clueless uneducated buyer of the V551.

The Nokia is a good choice, but it doesn't have bluetooth like the V557, so it's not really in the same league (unless that's not an issue for you).

I've got a V557 phone, for about a week now, and I think it is great. easy to use, nice big screen that is BRIGHT and pretty easy to navigate menu.. I could do most of the personal stuff right off, with some manual ready for things I wasn't use to. Calls are chrystal clear, and the bluetooth headset I got with it works neat.. perfect for long distance driving I do.
Signal strength is also great, I have cingular in Kansas.

The ticker and the bluetooth will run the battery down faster than what the max life is suggested as.. and I accidently hit the select on the ticker often enough I've decided to turn it off for most of the time, unless I'm on the road or on vacation where that might be the only news link to the world I'll have.

I also debated back and forth on the 6102 vs the v557.
If you want an fm radio, then pick the nokia, but if you want bluetooth, go with the v557 (the 6102 has the ability, but needs a 40$ adaptor to bluetooth, also must by a nokia specific headset for the fm radio)

I used to have a v551 with Cingular service and I definately agree with the call dropping issue you mentioned. I couldn't stand it. I picked up a razr v3 off of ebay and the call drops have since greatly diminished.

Not sure if it was the phone or maybe the service improved, but I'm happier now without the v551

I've got the Motorola v557 and it seems to be a pretty good phone it gets service in most places my other cell phones would not. It's only a little confusing at first but that's what the manual is for.