Also:

DBMS_STATS allows you transfer stats between servers to give consistant execution plans with differing data.

DBMS_STATS allows you to gather system statistics (9i) to make the decision process more accurate. In 8i stats such as i/o, CPU and memory usage are estimated.

Don't get hung up about it. I still use ANALYZE for on-off things. Alot of people still use DBMS_UTILITY.ANALYZE_SCHEMA. They all do essentially the same thing. You should consider moving to DBMS_STATS since it's Oracle's current recommendation.

Cheers