According to a leaked document within the company, Verizon will soon be killing pay-as-you-go data plans. Starting on November 14th, every new PDA / smartphone launched will require a data plan of $29.99 or more monthly. Also, the document states that sometime in 2009 "select" Mobile Web 2.0 devices will also require a monthly data plan. No word on what devices this would apply to, however.

Verizon, the second largest phone carrier in the US behind AT&The Empire, has finally loosened its death grip on prospective clients. No longer do customers need to pay for expensive service plans for free or nearly-free phones. Now they can pay the full price of the phones and feel the wallet burn immediately, instead of over a monthly basis. Considering Verizon has had a great service record for cellphone coverage, this could be a potentially large boost for them. Now if only they could make a decent iPhone clone.

Are you tired of having to match a phone you like to a service that you don’t? Verizon is coming out with a rational consumer-based idea. By the end of 2008, Verizon Wireless will be available to customers regardless of the phones they have – as long as the phones meet a "minimum technical standard." We’ll know more next year – but that is only a month away!

You can now pre-order the $199 Venus and $299 Voyager through Verizon. The Venus is slated for release on November 19th with the Voyager to follow on the 21st.

Verizon has unveiled its new UM150 EV-DO Rev.This USB modem includes a high- performance, retractable antenna and a Y-shaped extension cable for added performance and convenience. In addition, the UM150 serves as a mass storage device with its built-in microSD memory slot which has a minimum capacity of 4 GB.

The UM150 USB modem will be in Verizon Wireless Communications Stores, including those in Circuit City, on November 2. Available for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate and new two-year agreement, customers can get BroadbandAccess service for Internet browsing, e-mail and intranet access for $59.99 monthly access with a new one- or two-year customer agreement.