Okay, secondary question...
could I create a dummy account, load my contacts to it, then sync that email address with my phone to load the contacts... then remove the account from the phone?
Android is completely dependent on you using a Gmail account for all their services, contacts, calendar, docs, you name it.
While I suppose that anything is possible, I know first hand from my friends who have done just exactly what you are talking about that it really makes a mess of things. Once you sync your phone with a Gmail account, to remove it is a royal pain. It involves a total reset.
You do not want to do that... believe me.
The best, and only way in my humble opinion is to create a new Gmail account if you don't already have one, and then just get your contacts into it. Even if you have to work on it a little at a time. Remember you can sit at your computer and put your contact and any other info into your new Gmail account quite easily. Also your Gmail account becomes your Google account which gives free access to all their services.
The very first thing you do when getting a new Android phone is to enter your Gmail address and password. Then everything is synced without any problems in mere seconds the phone is ready.
It's the easiest phone to setup ever. Also as time goes by, and I don't mean a long time, just days, you will see the advantages that the combination of Gmail Google and Android offer. It's a very good system.
I'm a software engineer that works in a multi-platform environment creating software tools for Windows 7, OS X, and Linux. I can tell you in no uncertain terms that for a really great experience Android cannot be beat.
The one thing you must remember is iOS used in iPhones is totally different than Android. So you will need to make a commitment to yourself to do a little learning. It's fun and the reward is amazing.
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