i am looking at getting a pantech duo , a moto q, or a palm centro. Do you need to pay thirty dollars a month more for a smart phone. if so is there any way to get around it?
That extra $30 per month is for the data plan. You don't need a data plan to use your phone as a phone, but you do need a data plan in order to browse the Internet, get e-mail, download music, etc...
If the $30 unlimited plan is too much for you, take a look at the 5MB and 10MB data plans. They are less expensive plans, but you could have overage charges if you go over your 5MB or 10MB limit.
The typical smart phone user, from what I've seen, uses between 10MB and 200MB per month. Those smaller plans will really only be a good choice if you are an "e-mail only" user.