Reply
Thread Tools
jamiepda is offline jamiepda
2009-11-12 , 00:39
Posts: 35 | Thanked: 4 times | Joined on Nov 2007
#1
Hi All-

I was thinking about picking up a used n810, but started to wonder about the n900 instead.

Can it be used without a phone service plan, basically in the same manner an n810 would be?

Other than phone-related features, would anything not work?
 
sjgadsby is offline sjgadsby
2009-11-12 , 00:55
Posts: 5,335 | Thanked: 8,187 times | Joined on Mar 2007 @ Pennsylvania, USA
#2
Originally Posted by jamiepda View Post
I was thinking about picking up a used n810, but started to wonder about the n900 instead.

Can it be used without a phone service plan, basically in the same manner an n810 would be?
Yes. I used my N900 without a SIM in it for several weeks.

Other than phone-related features, would anything not work?
The "update time automatically" feature relies upon cellular service. You could install a utility to update the time via the Internet instead though, if it's important to you.

Also, for the pre-production firmware at least, there's a bug that causes the N900 to use more battery power than it should when no SIM is installed. That may be fixed in the production firmware; I haven't heard one way or the other.
__________________
maemo.org profile
 

The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to sjgadsby For This Useful Post:
Thor is offline Thor
2009-11-12 , 01:03
Posts: 488 | Thanked: 107 times | Joined on Sep 2009 @ Asgard / Midgard / London
#3
Yes I would think so. I've used both my Blackberry Bold and Nokia N82 without SIM cards for the first few days and had no problems surfing over wifi etc. I would think the N900 would be the same.

For those interested in other phones, I can never get any of my Sony Ericsson phones to work - even in offline/flight mode - without a SIM card... very annoying ! Especially if you are taking a phone overseas just for WiFi use.
__________________
London Tube Map App

Brainstorm: Improving the N900 Media Player
 
ewan's Avatar
ewan is offline ewan
2009-11-12 , 01:32
Posts: 445 | Thanked: 572 times | Joined on Oct 2009 @ Oxford
#4
Originally Posted by sjgadsby View Post
Also, for the pre-production firmware at least, there's a bug that causes the N900 to use more battery power than it should when no SIM is installed. That may be fixed in the production firmware; I haven't heard one way or the other.
If it just needs the presence of a SIM as opposed to it actually doing anything I wonder if popping a PAYG SIM with no credit in would be a useful workaround.
 
sjgadsby is offline sjgadsby
2009-11-12 , 01:44
Posts: 5,335 | Thanked: 8,187 times | Joined on Mar 2007 @ Pennsylvania, USA
#5
Originally Posted by ewan View Post
If it just needs the presence of a SIM as opposed to it actually doing anything I wonder if popping a PAYG SIM with no credit in would be a useful workaround.
This may well work, and it would be a cheap fix, as PAYG SIMs go for about three or four dollars shipped on eBay. I simply wasn't sure enough of this possible solution to mention it.

I can say that I did have an iDEN SIM in my N900 for a bit, just so I could explore the phone settings in the control panel. Nothing exploded, and it might have been enough to avoid the extra power drain. I haven't been willing to give up playing with my N900 long enough to test.
__________________
maemo.org profile
 
bemymonkey is offline bemymonkey
2009-11-12 , 07:55
Posts: 133 | Thanked: 23 times | Joined on Oct 2009
#6
How easy is it to turn on and off cellular data service if you have a SIM in there? Is there an actual on-off switch somewhere in the software, or is it more of a workaround like in Windows Mobile?
 
Reply

« Previous Thread | Next Thread »
Thread Tools

 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 17:57.

Contact Us - Home - Archive - Top