Around the World

Hello.
I am attempting to figure out how I am going to use my phone in Germany while I am there for a few months to study.
My situation is this, where I will be staying, I will not have internet in my living area. I need a phone that can be used as a modem in Europe decently cheaply, if possible. I need a phone that let's me create, and edit word, and powerpoint documents. I need a phone that has the voice activated thing that reads a person their calendar entries, tasks, incoming phone calls etc.
Right now, I have it all. For better or worse, freeze or fail I love my treo 700wx with verizon.
Without the features above, I couldn't live. I had the blackberry world edition FIRST but the text messaging was like notepad on PC's, and there is no touch screen, which I haven't decided if I will miss or not.
So, I called *611 to find out if my verizon phone would work overseas. Some stupid woman(the worst customer service that I have ever had at Verizon) told me that my phone WOULD work in Germany. She called their international department and told me with this plan, it would be 7 cents for me to call the U.S. When I questioned what she was telling me, she was annoyed, gave me a # to call if WHEN I get there it doesn't work, and told me that if I called them right now, they couldn't help me more than her because they were global support only.

So, just to double check, I called the number and the man told me that everything she told me was 100% inaccurate. Not only would my phone not work in Germany, but it defeintly wouldn't cost me that little. So then he says that I can rent a phone from verizon and "transfers me to them". Somehow I was disconnected. SO I call back and a woman tells me that I don't want to rent a phone because it's 15 dollars a day and I might as well buy a new one. She says that no company in U.S. has a modem that will work in Europe and that my only option is to purchase the Blackberry world edition for the discounted price. She actually said "dream on" when I told her the features I needed.

So I called AT&T because I talked to a friend who told me that her son in Sweeden, had a smart phone and used it the way I wanted and he bought it in the U.S.
So then I went to AT&T store where they tried to sell me a blackjackis or something? When I Told them I might be interested in the treo 750, they told me that ALL their phones worked in most countries, and needless to say, werent very helpful aside from trying to talk to me about where I live, where i'm going on my trip, and a variety of other personal information.

So now i'm here.
Do I:
Stick with Verizon. Keep my phone
Stick with Verizon. Buy the stupid blackberry world edition.
Sign up for AT&T(whose service is aweful here), buy the Treo 750.
or
Other.