Last week I've bought an Ericsson T68i

Normally I'm a big Nokia fan (had both a 6110 and a 8810), but the new Nokia models couldn't convince me.
So I've bought that Ericsson. I've only done this since Ericsson now develops its mobiles together with Sony. And this shows.
I can't believe the things this baby can do! I also plan on getting the (optional) camera module for it.
Battery life is excellent, and so are the features. Ok, so it takes a bit getting used to after having used Nokia for the past 4 years, but I haven't regretted it so far.
Overall, it's a pretty solid phone, and I like it very much. I haven't noticed any of the problems you mention with SMS. (and I SMS more than I phone)
Oh yeah, Bluetooth comes standard with it