ok to start off, my roomate has the PPC 6700 w/ Sprint Vision and says he pays like 15 a month for the data plan or whatever and thats all he has to pay. He can use WIFI, sync outlook, etc.

I am mooching off the parents with the family plan, so i call Verizon and ask whats necessary to upgrade to a smartphone, specifically the VX6700. According to two different customer service reps (i called twice), I need a data plan in order to use WIFI and sync w/ outlook and I could choose from three different data plans, 10mb($25/mo.), 25mb, and unlimited($50/mo.).

I asked why I need a data plan just to plug in a cable from computer to phone and she said its because outlook syncs through the internet. But my roomate says it doesnt have anything to do with the internet, he just hooks up the cable from phone to computer and does it, and doesnt get charged any additional usage fees.

So is there a difference between the sprint version and the verizon version or are the customer service reps i spoke with just BSing me and trying to get me to purchase a more expensive data plan?

What features require the data plan? The only reason I'm so confused is because my roomate is telling me completely different things than what Verizon is saying. Hopefully somebody can clear this up...