Am about to receive my new 8700c - very excited as I have read great things about it!!

two questions:

• it's on cingular on the BlackBerry unlimited plan - does the 8700c automatically use EDGE where avialable, or is that a nother plan/add-on on top of a standard GPRS plan?
• Is there info on how (if possible) to use it in place of a EDGE/GPRS card on a laptop - ie where no WiFi or broadband, connect via USB to laptop and use as a modem for internet access