Bought one of these sometime in December. Really wanted to like it, but not very impressed, so far. Haven't done a lot of real-world testing, but I monitor a lot at home with this and the Boofwang UV-5G. I've found the Boofwang UV-5G gets much better reception (oftentimes, I get pretty clear chatter on the UV5G and absolutely nothing from the GMRSPRO -- squelch on UV5g is set to 5 and on the GMRSPRO at 1). Both using the included rubber ducky antenna.
I do like the texting feature and one of my hunting buddies got one, as well (that's primarily my real-world application for GMRS -- hunting), but haven't had the chance to test it.
Would getting a better attenna (like the Nagoya) help with this reception problem? I'm sure it would, but $150 radio ought to perform better than a $30 one, IMHO. I guess the price is based more on the bright, shiny features rather than radio capability.
I agree with @WRQS631 that the cord should have been included. I've learned to use the app, so I'm not real inclined to spend the extra $20-30 for the cord, at this time.