Wckediden - Mobile Tricks and Tweaks Community

Hi all,
My name is Michael. Just found this forum through a link on Howards and a Google Search. I've done a little reading on it and, so far, am very impressed!!! I'm new to Smartphones. In fact, I'm still awaiting delivery of my new T-Mobile Dash.
I've been a Tmo customer for a couple of years now and, until recently, had a Nokia 5300 that I was very happy with. I unlocked it soon after getting it and added Opera Mini and Google Mobile Map. I really liked the phone. Unfortunately, I had a warranty issue and it was replaced by the Nokia 5310, which I can't stand!!! So I decided to use my partial upgrade credit to upgrade to the Dash. I had a hard time deciding between the Dash and the Wing. After much research, I realized that for the dollar amount, the Dash had everything I needed and that the Wing would be a little more difficult for me to use while traveling and such.
So, I now come to all of you for advice and suggestions. What can I expect out of my Dash? Being my first smart phone, I'm unsure what to expect with T Mobile. Do they cripple the smart phones as they do other phones? Will I need to get it unlocked? I'll be using my existing SIM card which is already unlocked. If needed, is the unlocking process fairly straight forward? I understand that T Mobile will unlock for customers having more than 3 months of service. However, when I got my Nokia 5300 unlocked by T Mobile, all they did was unlock the SIM. I then had to unlock or unbrand the phone myself.
I've also read about a new Windows Mobile upgrade to v. 6.1 or something? I understand this is an improvement over what the phone will come with? What about 3rd party software? Will it be needed on the Dash? Will T Mobile allow it to run??
I'm really hoping this phone will be everything I've read it to be. I'm just wanting to have all my ducks in a row and know what I need to know before receiving the phone. Any and all advice and suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

Michael