Possible Newcomer With a Few Questions

[reese.reimers]

I am on Verizon with a BlackBerry Storm and I have hated it since the day I bought it (at the time there weren't any other alternatives). However, the Droid is looking like a huge possibility. But first, I have a few questions. (I researched these as much as possible and I haven't found many results.)

1. When adding an email account to Android, do all of your previous emails load? I have many important emails saved on my gmail account and this is a necessity.
2. I am a Mac user. Is there any possibilty to sync Android phones with a Mac? As I stated above I have a Gmail and I sync my Address Book and iCal with my Google address book and calendar. Will the Droid automatically pull/update these contacts and events? Can I back up the phone on a Mac? Do updates to the OS require the use of a PC or can they be performed using a Mac or over the air?
3. What are your likes/dislikes about the Android platform?

I know I have a lot of questions and I thank you for taking the time to read them. I just don't want to get myself into another situation that is similar to owning the Storm. This is really the first time I have seriously looked at Android and it seems like it is the way to go!