When you guys say tethering, are you meaning tiered?
I have the original Droid Incredible. It has been a great phone in all aspects but one. The battery life is pretty bad. From what I've heard about 4G, it doesn't look like the networks will be up and running at any complete capacity or coverage until 2013. I would say your best bet would be to get one now and get grandfathered into the unlimited data plan. As hardware and software improve, they will require more data use to run various applications. The cell companies realize this, and that is why they are all migrating to tiered plans. They would eventually be losing some major $ if they did not. Also, if you are "waiting" for the next best phones (technology), you will always be waiting. There will always be something better months from now. Often times you can get a better deal on a phone through an online retailer like Wirefly or Newegg verse going through an official Verizon store. I've dealt with both with no issues.