Motorola A855 Droid on PagePlus

[jaysen2]

To Clarify;

Yes you can purchase a Droid from Anywhere; Amazon, ebay, craigslist, etc... Only requirement is that the ESN is clean and not blacklisted on Verizon's network - this means if someone did an upgrade, esn change, and then sold you the phone before activating that persons account must be in good standing (easier and less risky to purchase new)

second; You activate the droid just like any other phone for PagePlus. I too, ported two numbers from AT&T into page plus. Both times I telephoned Customer Service and within 15 minutes (most of the time was waiting) I was off the phone and my ESN/MEID added to their system - no questions asked.

Once the ESN/MEID is added, you turn your droid on and go through the "Activation" screen - Select Option 1, wait a few seconds while it programs, and viola phone is unlocked and passed activation. My second phone took a little longer to get into Verizon's system then the first, so be patient, allow the full 3 hrs like stated by the Rep (however, it only took less than 15 minutes for mine to complete).

Data, MMS, SMS, and Voice will work with the droid out of box. No additional programming required other than what I've stated above - However, be mindful of how much data you're using to avoid additional charges. To specifically answer your question regarding the calendar and other features... All features on the droid will work. Period. However, applications such as email/calendar etc... that require Data to stay Sync'd and updated will not necessarily "stay updated" unless you have some type of connection (wifi or 3G) -

For instance; I have 3 email accounts set up , one being an exchange, and the other imap... I can compose, edit, read emails (that were previously downloaded) however if I wanna delete an email, I can, but my outlook or gmail wont reflect the changes until I sync. I purposely turned off the Automatic Sync and "Background" data feature off so I am not charged for data. If I am in desperate need of updated info, I will use the 3G to connect and not worry about overages (hopefully)....

does this help?

[info[]box1]

To Clarify;

Yes you can purchase a Droid from Anywhere; Amazon, ebay, craigslist, etc... Only requirement is that the ESN is clean and not blacklisted on Verizon's network - this means if someone did an upgrade, esn change, and then sold you the phone before activating that persons account must be in good standing (easier and less risky to purchase new)

second; You activate the droid just like any other phone for PagePlus. I too, ported two numbers from AT&T into page plus. Both times I telephoned Customer Service and within 15 minutes (most of the time was waiting) I was off the phone and my ESN/MEID added to their system - no questions asked.

Once the ESN/MEID is added, you turn your droid on and go through the "Activation" screen - Select Option 1, wait a few seconds while it programs, and viola phone is unlocked and passed activation. My second phone took a little longer to get into Verizon's system then the first, so be patient, allow the full 3 hrs like stated by the Rep (however, it only took less than 15 minutes for mine to complete).

Data, MMS, SMS, and Voice will work with the droid out of box. No additional programming required other than what I've stated above - However, be mindful of how much data you're using to avoid additional charges. To specifically answer your question regarding the calendar and other features... All features on the droid will work. Period. However, applications such as email/calendar etc... that require Data to stay Sync'd and updated will not necessarily "stay updated" unless you have some type of connection (wifi or 3G) -

For instance; I have 3 email accounts set up , one being an exchange, and the other imap... I can compose, edit, read emails (that were previously downloaded) however if I wanna delete an email, I can, but my outlook or gmail wont reflect the changes until I sync. I purposely turned off the Automatic Sync and "Background" data feature off so I am not charged for data. If I am in desperate need of updated info, I will use the 3G to connect and not worry about overages (hopefully)....

does this help?

this is the most interesting post ive read in a very very long time...thx you very much for clearing this up...!!

[tigerwolf]

Yeah, that's fantastic jaysen2! (And thanks t6821hn!)

So...you really just buy the phone, call Page Plus to get it activated (read them the ESN), and then once that's done turn the phone on, and do 'option 1' to activate it (which I take it is a normal procedure that you'd do on Verizon too)...and that's it? It works just like on Verizon, other than not having unlimited data?

Does the Droid have some sort of permanent 'toggle' to keep cell data OFF, so like if you're in range of Wifi you can toggle wifi on, but otherwise it won't be trying to pull over the network and I don't have to think/worry about that?

That's what I *think* I'm understanding.

I keep looking for a 'catch' with all this. I mean it sounds like I can just order a new Droid right now, and by next next week be using it for almost $20/month LESS than I have my normal cell phone on USCC for...which is insane, and why I keep looking for the catch!

[jaysen2]

So...you really just buy the phone, call Page Plus to get it activated (read them the ESN), and then once that's done turn the phone on, and do 'option 1' to activate it (which I take it is a normal procedure that you'd do on Verizon too)...and that's it? It works just like on Verizon, other than not having unlimited data?

Yes... This is all you do. As for this being the "normal procedure" for Verizon, I can only assume so. I've never had Verizon - Until PagePlus

Does the Droid have some sort of permanent 'toggle' to keep cell data OFF, so like if you're in range of Wifi you can toggle wifi on, but otherwise it won't be trying to pull over the network and I don't have to think/worry about that?

Yes and No - There is a Setting on the droid that turns Background Application Data On/Off - Being this is my first Android device, I've come to the assumption that this is for programs/widgets that pull data to keep the widget/program updated (i.e. stocks, weather, RSS feeds, etcc)

Having said that, when this is turned off, I can still open up Google and search/browse the web without having to turn that feature ON.

There are also sub settings, for instance with mail, that allows you to turn sync on or off... I keep it off to avoid exchange and imap sync'ing while not on wifi. - To be honest, a pain, but for the $120/mo i'm saving from two iphones well worth it in my opinion.

The phone out of box does not come with a WiFi on/off program or widget. However in the market place, you can find "wifi on/off" (ironic right?) and download it for free... THis will place a on/off widget that automatically turns wifi on or off with the flick of a thumb/finger

I keep looking for a 'catch' with all this. I mean it sounds like I can just order a new Droid right now, and by next next week be using it for almost $20/month LESS than I have my normal cell phone on USCC for...which is insane, and why I keep looking for the catch!

Well I've been operating on the phone now for two days, and I can tell you I haven't found any "catches" - Until an unlimited plan comes out on PP you must use the settings I described above to stay within your 20MB.

So far, i've only used 1MB - in two days... This was caused by an accidental download (wifi on/of while not on WiFi) and testing to make sure DATA worked...

[tigerwolf]

How come people keep claiming you have to hack phones to get data to work on Page Plus, when the Droid (probably the most sophisticated phone on the network) just works? That's awesome, but...

And...I just had another random thought...we're not sure how or if various Android devices are going to get OS updates. I wonder if running Droid on a non-Verizon network will limit that. Maybe not though. I mean if there's just a "software update" function in it, it may not care. (Hopefully that'll work over wifi though! My iPod touch updates are close to 300MB...assuming Android is similar, that's not going to work so well over a 50MB limit! :-D )

[jaysen2]

How come people keep claiming you have to hack phones to get data to work on Page Plus, when the Droid (probably the most sophisticated phone on the network) just works? That's awesome, but...

If you've done enough reading, you'll read that most verizon phones with the exception of blackberries work with data active and no other mods needed - at least the stuff i've read. I think most of the problems people run into are phones that are obsolete, flashed, or were previously used on another provider (i.e. cricket, alltel, sprint)...

I can't tell you why the phone works when you'd figure it wouldn't but I can tell you it DOES (Droid, DOES hahah Cheesey)

And...I just had another random thought...we're not sure how or if various Android devices are going to get OS updates. I wonder if running Droid on a non-Verizon network will limit that. Maybe not though. I mean if there's just a "software update" function in it, it may not care. (Hopefully that'll work over wifi though! My iPod touch updates are close to 300MB...assuming Android is similar, that's not going to work so well over a 50MB limit! :-D )

This I can definitely answer with Sarcasm You are definitely not up to speed on the Hacking community... You'd be amazed at what people can do with these phones... Take the iPhone for example, a phone that was never to be "hacked"; is hacked and used on different networks. People are installing their own software and doing amazing things with it. IF there's a will, there's a way and the developer community will figure it out - This does not bother me one bit. To give another example, take the PRE. Sprint delivers update OTA, however the developer community has been able to provide a Downloadable/Flashable update. No need for OTA

Now get off your *** and buy a Droid haha.. JK.

[tigerwolf]

Well, this is sort of anticlimatic. I went to a Verizon store after work to try it out, and...the outgoing sound quality was really atrocious. Incoming sounded roughly similar to my current Motorola, which is to say pretty good, but outgoing, even when I spoke directly into the microphone, was terrible to the point of being unacceptable.

It was REALLY loud in there (they had a speaker blaring music directly above the phones!) but still my phone coped with it fine.

So...I don't know anything :-/

In terms of the OS, it's hard to get a feel for it in that amount of time. The conventions are really different from what I'm used to.

Thanks for all the help though

[jaysen2]

Well, this is sort of anticlimatic. I went to a Verizon store after work to try it out, and...the outgoing sound quality was really atrocious. Incoming sounded roughly similar to my current Motorola, which is to say pretty good, but outgoing, even when I spoke directly into the microphone, was terrible to the point of being unacceptable.

It was REALLY loud in there (they had a speaker blaring music directly above the phones!) but still my phone coped with it fine.

So...I don't know anything :-/

In terms of the OS, it's hard to get a feel for it in that amount of time. The conventions are really different from what I'm used to.

Thanks for all the help though

I feel'ya... To be quite honest, even before my postings, i had my doubts about the droid. Personally, I wanted to go with the Eris, however the price I paid for the Droid was a no brainer.

I'm still considering the Eris, but I don't wanna give up this screen. I find myself using the onscreen keyboard in landscape more than I do the physical qwerty. Look a few post back and you'll find someone on here who felt the same way I'm feeling now... Choice we have, however selection is still slightly limited (compared to GSM)...

I'm considering replacing my GF's Treo Pro with a Pixie when it comes out...

[univerio]

Yes... This is all you do. As for this being the "normal procedure" for Verizon, I can only assume so. I've never had Verizon - Until PagePlus

Do you know how to program the phone if the normal "Touch the android to begin." and "press 1 to program your phone" fails? i.e. How to perform manual programming?

EDIT: Nevermind. By sheer luck. the activation application somehow crashed so I was able to get to the dialer and input ##PROGRAM and activate it that way.

[obobo5413]

The phone out of box does not come with a WiFi on/off program or widget. However in the market place, you can find "wifi on/off" (ironic right?) and download it for free... THis will place a on/off widget that automatically turns wifi on or off with the flick of a thumb/finger

Can you download from the market place without activating the Droid on Verizon first?

[tigerwolf]

So does that mean you guys WEREN'T able to just activate the Droid for some reason?

I feel'ya... To be quite honest, even before my postings, i had my doubts about the droid. Personally, I wanted to go with the Eris, however the price I paid for the Droid was a no brainer.

I'm still considering the Eris, but I don't wanna give up this screen. I find myself using the onscreen keyboard in landscape more than I do the physical qwerty. Look a few post back and you'll find someone on here who felt the same way I'm feeling now... Choice we have, however selection is still slightly limited (compared to GSM)...

I'm considering replacing my GF's Treo Pro with a Pixie when it comes out...

You know, I think the Pre seems pretty promising, and I was kind of interested in the Pixi, only I just read Cnet's review and now I'm disappointed. I don't like the Pre's sliding design, partly because it seems a bit awkward without giving you much, and partly because it seems like it would wear out.

So I thought the Pixi was basically a Pre with the slider removed, which sounds cool. Then I find out it lost wifi, which still sounded decent to me. Then I read the review, and they shrunk the already small Pre screen (I think the Pre's seems horribly TINY compared to the iPod touch, even though on paper the difference doesn't sound like much), and they're using a last-gen hardware platform for it. Soooo I'd still be getting a Pre if I were getting one.

It seems like MAYBE the WebOS multitasking has a better interface than Android, but it's really hard to say without living with them.

[Antenna]

Download the "toggle data" app from the store to switch off data...and no, to download you must use data for market place/phone setup

[aperry]

So, you can't use the market place via wifi? That seems dumb. That also tells me I need to know exactly what I'm looking for before I go there so that I don't eat up all my data browsing apps.

[Antenna]

So, you can't use the market place via wifi? That seems dumb. That also tells me I need to know exactly what I'm looking for before I go there so that I don't eat up all my data browsing apps.

You can, but after intial Ev-Do connection setup

[mrvmrvmrv]

If you've done enough reading, you'll read that most verizon phones with the exception of blackberries work with data active and no other mods needed - at least the stuff i've read. I think most of the problems people run into are phones that are obsolete, flashed, or were previously used on another provider (i.e. cricket, alltel, sprint)...

This is not correct. Only smartphone Verizon phones work out of the box, regular "dumb" phones need to be modified for data, even if they are new Verizon models.