I guess I didn't word the title correctly. I am wondering if there are cheaper alternative phones/plans here in the US that can do email sync as well as location finding on a map. Blackberries still require a data plan comparable to Android and iOS phones AFAIK.
You will need a data plan no matter what. Smartphones don't come with a bunch of map data already downloaded; the idea is you pull the maps through data networks as you need them. May as well get the best smartphone possible.
The only way around this is to get a dedicated GPS unit. These don't require mobile data since their maps are stored locally, but the issue there is the maps eventually become out of date and they're difficult and/or expensive to update.
I am wondering if there are cheaper alternative phones/plans here in the US that can do email sync as well as location finding on a map.
supposed to be orange on the map
Check the box at the top of the map that says Data Coverage. They use Sprint 3G, so you will get all of Sprint's towers but no roaming privileges.
Pretty good coverage, much better than I was expecting.