The point of so called "Smart Phones" is to replace a lot of the devices and tasks you do with one device. You're paying a premium to have a single device which can take pictures, do your email, watch YouTube, do Google map results, play music, surf the web, update your Twitter status, listen to streaming internet radio, take notes, IM, keep up on your eBay watch list, replace your graphing calculator...
If you fall under the theory that "It's just a phone and all I need it to do is make calls" then you shouldn't be in the market for any of the aforementioned phones. Your money would probably be better spent on whatever quote unquote "Feature Phone" the clerk happens to be selling that day. A feature phone is a phone which is designed around one or two simple tasks, such as being small, having a good camera, or being able to text message well.
Just because everyone is talking about a particular phone doesn't mean that it's right for you. Oh, and as far as what nin10do was saying, the iPhone can play music for 24 hours straight without dying, so the battery life is fine as long as you charge it very night.