I had planned to "give it another shot" all along, in May 2013, one month before the announced Nextel shutdown. But if things have improved as much as you say they have, and based on jrfdsf's positive review of the XT, I'll use the window between Christmas & New Year's to convert one line from the Moto i365 to an XT and see how it goes.

Where do you suggest I go for the best service by the most knowledgeable people at Sprint, i.e. the ones who know the most about the original Nextel plans and the new SDC equivalents? Is there a special number to call for transitioning Nextel? Or are the corporate store personnel properly trained by now?