Hello - I am new here and I have a question regarding PDA's/smartphones in general; I have never owned either type. I found the following information on a website:
"Many carriers require you to purchase a wireless data plan for a smartphone along with a voice plan. This extra monthly fee adds up over time, making smartphones more expensive in the long run. As an example, consider a PDA that costs $300 and a smartphone that costs $99 plus an additional $40 per month for data service. After just one year of service, you will have spent a total of $579 for the smartphone and data service."

This may seem an obvious question but...I understand how the smartphone is billed, but I don't quite understand how it works for a PDA. I understand you pay one large amount, but how do you get service, what type of service, and how much is it monthly (if there is a 'monthly' charge)? (**I would most likely use Verizon Wireless as a carrier.)

Please help me to understand.

Thanks,
Corrinna