my razr running on t-mobile is pathetically slow, as is the phone itself so not sure whether moving away from cing will make any difference.
seeing how you've dealt w/ computers ever since mit and onwards, you may be able to help yourself. have you come across
http://www.modmymoto.com/forums/index.php ?
they have tons of apps for motorolla phones. they have software that you can download for free to completely change how your phone behaves. forums to ask for help. tutorials w/ pictures. you have stuff to change the appearance as well as total performance of your phone.
i don't have the skill, time, nor inclination to do that (just waiting for a particular nokia to come this way b/c to me nokia=mac), but it may be something for you. i've played w/ a modded phone and it was a night and day difference.