Convince a skeptic!

[pjs37]

There used to be a site you could go to on iphone and Android that made a mock interface for Windows phone so you could test drive it... I think it was this one: Windows Phone Demo

I would recommend you try it. its obviously limited but it does a fair job of showing you the nuances.

As for the messaging feature have you tried using Facebook chat? Its integrated into the messaging interface and is also free...all major platforms also have apps for this.