Using Droid Eris without VZN data plan

[VZWBB]

Other than using it for a music player or something, what would be the point of having a smartphone on a voice only plan? Count me in as another who doesn't "get that".

Its like buying a dummy phone and walking aorund with it clipped to your belt, lol.

Another poster said it right...verizon isn't going to change their policy. They may lower the price someday, but thats about it. When I first got my MotoQ I was paying $45/month for unlimited data, and it was extra to tether. $30 seems like a bargain to me now. Some day in the future...it might be $15..who knows?

 

[kb31550]

if you hit the activate button three times it will let you get past the activation screen

 

[ircactus]

Other solution would be to take the Eris to a Verizon MVNO that has byod (Bring your own device). Prepaids like Page Plus Mingo etc are Big V MVNO's. I know for a fact that P+ has $29.95 for 1200 talk / 1200 txt and 50mb data. Eris / Droid or for that matter the new Inc. can and do run on these types of systems. (for the really cheap cheap cheap users out there).

Just sayin....

 

[HawaiianLaker]

i have an eris i got for free, and i was never planning on activating it so i wiped it and it went to that activation screen, not sure how but i did get around it without activating it and now i use it just like an ipod touch, its great. on a side note i wonder if i will get the update ota since its not active...

 

[yak_vi]

Hi, i'm from Argentina, i have a Droid Eris from USA but here in my country CDMA technology don't works but i want use this phone as audio/video player, with wifi without phone functions. This works great but I made a hard reset and when i power up say "Problem with Activation". Is possible skip this menu to use as player, wifi, etc.?

Thanks

 

[google123]

Get one off eBay and then activate it on Page Plus Cellular. They use Verizon's network. You can get the Talk/Text 1200 plan for $30/month. 1200 Minutes, 1200 Texts, 50MB Data for $30/month using Verizon coverage. Enjoy the Eris.....

 

[jaanQ]

if you hit the activate button three times it will let you get past the activation screen

(Sorry for resurrecting an old thread, but this one is the very first one that showed up on a Google search)

This works.

I got a Droid Eris from a friend of mine (he ditched Verizon because of $$). I also don't want to spend $30 a month for data especially when I have computers everywhere...I don't need to stay *that* connected. I have a semi-smart phone already but I'm grandfathered in and don't have to pay anything extra.

I did a hard reset and got the activation screen. What I did was to try and activate 3 times and fail, and it worked...I ended up on the typing tutorial screen. In my case, I shut the phone down and powered it back up each time (I did this before I read this page). Voila.

As a side not, for those who "don't get it"...this is just like the old days when we all had Palms and brick cell phones. I'm used to carrying a pocket computer / iPod / digital camera / GPS anyway in addition to my phone.

 

[HeadAcheJoe]

Not sure how much traffic this forum gets, but I'm curious to hear from the posters using the Eris as an ipod alternative (without data or any VZW service).

Long story short, I'm completely done with Apple, but my kid wants an ipod. I got an Eris off ebay got 1/4 the cost of and ipod, and was hoping to let him play with that without me worrying about him racking charges.

Will skipping the activation screen accomplish this? Is there a way to disable the cellular radio got better battery/performance, other than airplane mode?
I will also have an OG Droid, or DInc to try this on, depending which one my wife opts for.

 

[doogald]

Not sure how much traffic this forum gets, but I'm curious to hear from the posters using the Eris as an ipod alternative (without data or any VZW service).

Long story short, I'm completely done with Apple, but my kid wants an ipod. I got an Eris off ebay got 1/4 the cost of and ipod, and was hoping to let him play with that without me worrying about him racking charges.

Will skipping the activation screen accomplish this? Is there a way to disable the cellular radio got better battery/performance, other than airplane mode?
I will also have an OG Droid, or DInc to try this on, depending which one my wife opts for.

Personally, I think that Android phones in general are poor music players. One major reason (for me) is that they do not support the inline headphone controls that the iPhone/iPods do, but there are other reasons (i.e., the ability to sync play counts, last played date, skipped counts, etc., for use in smart playlists).

However, if you are done with Apple, you are done with Apple, so let's answer your questions.

There are a few ways to skip activation, though I think that the easiest is to let the activation try to dial and then disconnect it immediately. It will retry two times - disconnect those times as well - and then it will give up and allow you to go through Android setup using WiFi only networking.

You can disable the cellular radio if you root the phone and install a script, but I think it works only on certain ROMs, and really it is doing nothing but automating flipping the phone into airplane mode and then turning on WiFi. Frankly, I'd just put it into airplane mode and then turn on WiFi - you can do both with homescreen toggle widgets, and I believe that the settings survive turning the phone off and on again.

I think that the OG Droid is a nice phone - faster than the Eris, though heavier and thicker. The DInc is better than both, unless you really need the Droid's hardware keyboard, and I cannot see why you would. Both the DInc and Droid have better displays than the Eris. You will have to ask the DInc forum about how to avoid initial activation without service, though - I think that it's trickier than the Eris.

 

[HeadAcheJoe]

Doogald, thank you for the reply. Both my wife and I loved our OG Droids. Though, mine finally crapped out, and the insurance refurb had a headset jack problem, so I got saddled with an new X2. (Having Asurion finally paid off.)

My wife is still using hers, but is itching to upgrade. I found a DInc on ebay for super cheap, and originally bought that as an ipod alternative for my 6yr old. But, fear of my wife claiming it as her Droid replacement prompted me to pick up an extra Eris. (All still cheaper than an ipod, and since our family is already invested in the Android ecosystem...)

With the two extras (likely the Eris and OG Droid), I figure both my boys (5 and 6) could have ipod-like devices, and they won't be all that particular as long as music and Angry Birds work.
.)