I had the same decision a few months back & I took the middle road with the Futaba 7CAP.
I am somewhat of a geek so I had to buy the computer radio.
Seriously though, I liked the idea of being able to run dual Aileron Servo's & Flaperon's which pushed me towards the computer radio's. I looked closely at the 6EX but went for the 7C becuase of the extra functionality & the dual rates on the rudder. (i don't believe the 6ex did that)
I also bought a couple 3D foamies at the same time as my Nexstar trianer so I'm taking a somewhat oddball beginner aproach.

From my research you can't go wrong with either the JR or Futaba radio's (kinda a Ford Chevy thing). I also see a lot of good things on the Hitec's

You'll find a lot of good info about the Futaba radio's & capabilities here: http://www.futaba-rc.com/radios/planes.html
Also read the FAQ's because ther's a lot of answer's to capabilities there. http://www.futaba-rc.com/faq/index.html

As for the Buddy box, I just bought my own for $45 bucks because I have 3 kid's & they always want to do what Dad's doing. It also takes away the Instructor compatibility issues.

I also want to re-iterate what others have said & strongly recommend joining a local club & work with an instructor. My first flight with my foamy lasted all of 8 seconds & I was buying a new foamy. My confidence was quickly grounded & I was thankful it was only a $40 foamy versus my trainer.

Good luck