You can get OTA updates off the web too by just downloading the "update.zip" (usually hosted here in the forums or an easy Google to find) file onto your SD card and rebooting into recovery and installing the update manually, so you won't miss out on anything there. This is for unrooted phones too.

Other than that, no, the Droid doesn't have anything it absolutely needs 3G for to function properly. You can even turn off data services in the settings to prevent data usage (for if you have a low bandwidth cap). I see no reason why it wouldn't function fine without a data plan or cellular data connection.

So what method are you using to keep off the data plan? Flashing it to Cricket?

 

SMS/MMS require data ...

 

No they don't. I just turned off data services on my Droid and just sent out a SMS and MMS to someone and also received them back. I have no 3G or 1x connection after disabling it and it still worked.

 

Lol, I don't think you'll be able to convince them that the MEID is the wrong for the phone model. That would be like telling your car insurance company that the VIN for your Ford Mustang is actually a Kia Forte. But by all means, give it a try and let us know how it works out .

 

If you're that tight on money, why not check out the plans/phones on TMobile and Sprint. I believe they're far cheaper and both have some solid android phones now.

 

thats because you were on wifi (data) my point was only that you will need to be on wifi to send and recieve sms/mms(data). I may be wrong tho

 

No, you are definitely wrong. I was at work where no WiFi exists and my WiFi radio was off. On top of that, all SMS/MMS and voice communications on the phone goes through the carrier and can not go through WiFi (even if you're connected to a WiFi access point, it won't take that route/use that connection). I am 100% certain of this. The only exception to this rule is if you're using Google Voice and SMS services that use a separate phone number from your carrier number (which requires a data connection).

If you want to get technical, then yes, SMS/MMS requires your phone to transfer data (following that logic, voice and every other bit of communications from your phone uses data bandwidth), but not in the sense that the carrier treats it as a data service. That's why you get charged separately for SMS/MMS from voice and data services.

So as far as the carrier and the phone goes, no, you're phone doesn't need a 3G/1x or WiFi connection to use SMS/MMS services.

 

T4rd is correct. No data connection is required to send an SMS message. This is why messaging plans are separate from data plans. On older phones without data plans, for instance, certain instant messaging clients (AIM for instance) were able to send messages through the SMS channel to avoid unwanted data costs. You do not need to be on WiFI or 3G in order to send or receive SMS, just as you do not need to be on those networks to make or receive phone calls.