Motorola Droid :: Improvements To Gmail App - Reply - Reply All And Forward Buttons Very Inconvenient

I got an Android device specifically for Google integration, since my employer uses Google for 50% of our work (email, calendar, chat). Yet bizarrely, Android's Gmail app seems to be the weakest point of their platform.

IMHO (and please not let this become some kind of fanboy bashfest of someone trying to put in constructive criticism here):

The "Reply," "Reply All," and "Forward" buttons are very inconvenient -- at the bottom of the message, rather than a toolbar of some kind. This means that when I want to respond to one of those interminable email chains, I have to scroll past wads of old crap to reply. I've had intermittent success with forwarding attachments. It seems unpredictable when an attachment will forward and when it won't. Can someone shed some light into when it works? I suspect it has something to do with Outlook or other clients that attach files in non-standard ways. Very limited offline functionality. I would really prefer if there were an IMAP mode so I can review email while offline (e.g. on the plane or underground). Specific to the Droid: The D-Pad has so much potential, but instead all it does is jump from link to link in an email, which I do not find intuitive at all. At a minimum I'd think that the D-Pad would let you scroll; ideally, I'd like to see the D-Pad help solve the first problem described above (lack of access to the reply and forward buttons) so enough whining from me. I'd appreciate any solutions to the above (and "Shut up and deal with it" is not appreciated). It could be keystroke shortcuts I'm not aware of, apps that work better than the default Gmail program, pending app updates that take advantage of the Droid's unique hardware, etc.