It looks like their only benefit is the free trades; it looks like you need to use Yahoo Finance, Google Finance, SmartMoney, or any software that you use to analyze stocks.
I always use these basic services and like reading the financial statements, thus I'm not much of a chartist. That's why I like the free trades. Most brokerages offer free mutual fund trades, but almost none offer free stock or ETF trades.
I would use Scottrade, Fidelity, or Vanguard to buy mutual funds and use Zecco to buy ETFs or individual stocks.
From what I've heard, I think chartists have loved TD Ameritrade.