shopping for a new plan and phone

My current verizon plan is about to expire.

When I got my current plan I felt smart phones were too expensive and
the plans were also.

So its time to start looking again.

I figure I'll be using the phone about an hour a day for data. I have
the crappy fake web on my verizon v710 which is slow and a pain to use.

What I want is
1) a phone where webpages are readable. The dummy web browser on my
phone makes it hardly worth using.
2) faster connection
3) possibly an ability to open pdf and word files

looking at some of the prices I almost debate keeping my phone and
just getting a small laptop with a wireless card but that is another
thing to carry around. However, a laptop is more than I want to carry
when out and about.