Unlocked Palm Pre 2 | Phone/Device Issues and Features | Consumer forum

franckpascal said:

I am using Palm Pre 2 phone very nice phone and its features are nice

Hi

Would it be possible to provide details on how you activated the Palm Pre 2 using the SpeakOut service? Did you have to get the prepaid data option? Are you currently using the Pre 2 with or without a data option?

I purchased the Palm Pre 2 from HP and at initial glance it looks like I need a data plan. I did not realize this when I brought the phone. I only want to use it like a normal phone and the wifi option when I'm home (i.e. I don't need to surf the net when I'm out and about). Currently, I have a Nokia phone and SIM card from 7-11 and I'm wondering if it's possible to use the same SIM card on the Palm Pre 2.

Many thanks

I was able to figure out how to use the Palm Pre 2 without a data plan and wanted to share my experience in case someone will find this useful.

The phone was completely new and unlocked. It's a model with GSM and webOS 2.0. When I originally put in my prepaid Speakout SIM card (which doesn't have data) and turn on the phone, a Sign In screen appeared and I needed to create a palm profile via data network. Since I don't have data on my SIM card, I could not bypass it to use the phone.

After some research online I came to the following page:

https://developer.palm.com/content/resources/develop/developing_on_an_unactivated_device.html

Since my phone is new with webOS 2.0 I skipped everything until near the end where it says "On a GSM phone, press "#*DEVMODE#", followed by the call button.".

So while my phone was on, I pressed the #* buttons on the keypad, the phone keypad appeared on the screen and I pressed the numbers the spelled DEVMODE, pressed # and the call button. When the Developer Mode scene appeared I selected "On". I rebooted when promoted and that took me to the home screen.

This method puts the phone in "developer mode" and some opinions on other forums say this is not a secure mode to be in, while other opinions say it's OK to remain in developer mode. If you want, you can easily turn off developer mode by doing the following:

While on the main page, type the following on the keypad without quotes "upupdowndownleftrightleftrightbastart". The Developer Mode icon will appear and you can select to disable it. You'll also be ask to reboot after this. I don't know if you loose everything if you reboot after disabling the Developer Mode.

My phone has remained in DevMode and as I play with it, again using just my regular SO SIM card, I can:
- receive and send phone calls
- use the common apps like calendar, camera etc
- connect to my home wifi network to surf the web, use the facebook app, map app and go onto youtube
- again with just wifi, I was able to setup my email account and receive and send emails (that's another story on the setup but it finally worked)
- through the USB, add music, video and photos to the palm pre 2
- add pdf document to read on the PDF reader

Because I don't have a Palm Profile I am currently not sync'g nor accessing the App Catalog. I know I'm not using the full features the Pre 2 is offering, but I just wanted a PDA with a keypad that gave me phone function.

If you want to try what I did, please do some research yourself to make sure you are comfortable with it. I've only used it for a couple of days and am not sure what the consequences of not activating the phone the Palm way. Also determine if you want to live with the limitations like I do.

Good luck.

Palm Pre 2 Factory Unlocked GSM Phone
Technical Details
Unlocked quad-band GSM cell phone compatible with 850/900/1800/1900 frequencies and US 3G compatibility via 850/1900 UMTS/HSDPA plus GPRS/EDGE capabilities
3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with Palm's webOS 2.0, multi-touch, and gesture recognition plus a full physical QWERTY keyboard
3G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity, push email, instant messaging, 5 MP camera with LED flash, GPS, and 16GB internal memory
Up to 5.5 hours of 3G talk time, up to 350 hours (14.5 days) of standby time
What's in the Box: handset, rechargeable battery, compact travel charger, USB connector data cable, hands-free headset, quick start guide.

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