I have to put a vote in for the FT60 also. I did a lot of research on-line and talked to many other hams. What some issues came down to was ease of operation. I learned that the ICOM's and Kenwoods are quite complex and difficult to get use to. For me that read frustration and if your frustrated with any techy thing you might end up not wanting to use it. Anyway, I bought the FT60 and I really like it. It is rugged. The battery that came with it holds its charge for a long time. I too bought the AA battery pack accessory though I have not used it. This radio has been very simple to use. The manual is easy to understand. I bought the CD program to manage frequencies to upload/download on my PC. That alone is very cool. I participate in a local emergency communications group and on 5watts others can hear me as I them on our local repeaters. This radio goes with everywhere. I bought a MFJ magmount for my truck for 40 bucks including shipping. That has helped "get out" on simplex.
I would suggest participating in your local HAM club. Lots of helpful and knowledgeable folks that really want you to enjoy HAM. Ask them what HT they carry and WHY they like it.
Welcome to HAM radio and have fun with it.
KI6GRS