Help Sprint Tab questions

[StreakTheQuad]

1. Hi everyone, long time lurker here,
   
2. Although I wanted to hold out for the wifi-only Tab, I recently picked up the Sprint Tab. Using a combination of Best Buy rewards certificates and a still-reduced Black Friday in-store price, it cost just above the rumored wifi-only price of $499. I did not sign up for a 2-year Sprint contract.
   
3. Sprint over Verizon seemed to be the logical choice based on what I have read on these boards. I already have a rooted Droid 1 and have no intention to sign up for another 2-year data plan. However, I have discovered some issues with Sprint and would like some community feedback:
   
   1. Activation: The device prompts me to Activate it upon start-up. I do not wish to sign up for a 2 year contract (nor was I asked/offered at Best Buy). Other Tabs have been able to use this method (How To : Bypass activation on Samsung Galaxy Tab - The Galaxy Tab) to bypass activation (for wifi use only), but it does not appear to work on the Sprint version. Has anybody figured this out? For now, I just hit cancel and the activation notice stays in the notification bar.
   
   2. Firmware updates: Because I don

 

[zombiedad]

1. 
   
   Sorry for such a long post. I REALLY want to love this device, but I have reservations about updates through Sprint.
   
   Thanks in advance.

1. 
   
   Like you, I got the Sprint Galaxy Tab. While I love the device itself and rooted it immediately, I won't be truly happy with it until a clockwork recovery mod for the Sprint version is available so I can flash something else onto it.
   
   Aside from the fact that I like trying alternate ROMs for my devices, a big driver of *dissatisfaction* for me on the Sprint version that I was unaware of before purchasing was that Sprint blocks bluetooth pairing with keyboards and mice. Since I also use mine in a business setting, this has me a little stuck.

 

[kenzzx1]

I have the Sprint tablet and I followed the procedure that you linked. It works for me. I still get the request to activate, but I ignore it. It connects to my home wifi very good.

 

[kimknapp]

StreaktheQuad,
Did you ever get an answer regarding firmware updates? Seems like WiFi works fine out of the box.

Kim

 

[StreakTheQuad]

I ended up returning the Sprint Tab.

Although it worked great over WiFi, I did not want the dark cloud firmware and OS updates incompatibility hanging over my head.

Many people on the XDA Forums had the same questions and concerns. Nobody believed that firmware updates were possible without activation and 2-year contracted service. I am not very experienced with rooting/ROMs so I decided it was best to return during my 14 day window.

Since Sprint would not activate me with a pre-paid month to month contract, I had to exercise my right as a consumer to vote with my wallet and say no.

I believe that the firmware update may be a Sprint-only issue. I looked at a T-Mobile Tab and there is only System update possible (not four on the Sprint, only one of which (Android OS) can connect to a server through wifi; the other three, including firmware, attempt to connect via 3G). Likewise on my VZW Droid, there is only one System update icon in the Settings.

It's unfortunate because I really liked the Tab, but it was not 100% right for me. Browsing the web over wifi using Dolphin HD was a great experience, and much better than my wife's iPad, which tends to checkerboard a lot when scrolling.

 

[slopokdave]

I ended up returning the Sprint Tab.

Although it worked great over WiFi, I did not want the dark cloud firmware and OS updates incompatibility hanging over my head.

Many people on the XDA Forums had the same questions and concerns. Nobody believed that firmware updates were possible without activation and 2-year contracted service. I am not very experienced with rooting/ROMs so I decided it was best to return during my 14 day window.

Since Sprint would not activate me with a pre-paid month to month contract, I had to exercise my right as a consumer to vote with my wallet and say no.

I believe that the firmware update may be a Sprint-only issue. I looked at a T-Mobile Tab and there is only System update possible (not four on the Sprint, only one of which (Android OS) can connect to a server through wifi; the other three, including firmware, attempt to connect via 3G). Likewise on my VZW Droid, there is only one System update icon in the Settings.

It's unfortunate because I really liked the Tab, but it was not 100% right for me. Browsing the web over wifi using Dolphin HD was a great experience, and much better than my wife's iPad, which tends to checkerboard a lot when scrolling.

Pardon me if I am misunderstanding... But to connect/activate the device, you need to do the 1st month activation @ 29.99. After this, you may cancel and re-connect as needed. Activating it doesnt mean you are signing a contract, it just means you are activating it on Sprints network; for that one month.

 

[StreakTheQuad]

Pardon me if I am misunderstanding... But to connect/activate the device, you need to do the 1st month activation @ 29.99. After this, you may cancel and re-connect as needed. Activating it doesnt mean you are signing a contract, it just means you are activating it on Sprints network; for that one month.

I spent over an hour on the phone with sprint customer and tech support. The only option for sprint activation was a two year contract. Yes, I could have canceled after one month but I would have to pay the early termination fee. No thanks!

T mobile and verizon will let you cancel after one month because they offer both monthly and two year contract

 

[slopokdave]

I spent over an hour on the phone with sprint customer and tech support. The only option for sprint activation was a two year contract. Yes, I could have canceled after one month but I would have to pay the early termination fee. No thanks!

T mobile and verizon will let you cancel after one month because they offer both monthly and two year contract

I'm sorry you experienced that, but that is absolutely not true. Unless I misunderstood your original post, you did NOT pay the $399 2-year contract price right? If not, then you should be able to activate it, pay the 1 month, then suspend service until further....

Again sorry you experienced that.

 

[StreakTheQuad]

I'm sorry you experienced that, but that is absolutely not true. Unless I misunderstood your original post, you did NOT pay the $399 2-year contract price right? If not, then you should be able to activate it, pay the 1 month, then suspend service until further....

Again sorry you experienced that.

Correct, I paid the unsubsidized/off contract price.

If i were to "suspend" service, i would still be liable for either the full two year contract amount or the early termination fee, correct? Since sprint chooses not to provide a month to month option, I choose not to be their customer.

The whole process was very frustrating. I truly hope that the next generation of officially supported google tablets (with market installed) are wifi only and not carrier dependant. If they are tied to carriers, I will make sure to only buy one that has real month to month options.

 

[newnick]

Check sprint website. There are two month-to-month plans. 29.99/mo/2GB and 59.99/mo/5GB. there is no 2 year or 1 year attachment required. You can just cancel it anytime if you dont want and there is no liability or early termination.

I got my sprint tab with this month-to-month plan in order to take advantage of the $399 sale last week.

Also if you dont want the activation request to show. What you need to do is just turn on the airplane mode --> tunr off the tab--> turn it back on. Then leave the airplane mode on and you will never see the activation request no more.

Anyway, what's the point to have the radio turned on if you dont have a data plan subscription activated?

 

[orlandotek]

I would think if you bought an unlocked Sprint Tab (w/o paying the
2 years subscription) AND you already have Sprint Service on an
existing phone..you could do this...

Activate the TAB on your current phone's account. Once activated,
run the update. You will probably have to pay $29.00 for one
month of service as a minimum..I know that is a pain..but..once
updated you can then re-activate your phone back on the
original account and deactivate the service for the Tab.