Check out the Motorola F3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorola_FONE_F3. It has an e-Ink display, so you can read the clock without having to push a button and the battery life is awesome.
Any way to use one of those on Verizon? Googling around, people claim that (a) the F3c (CDMA version) isn’t available in the US, and (b) non-Verizon-branded phones can’t be made to work on their network.