Help Can I use a tablet attached to cell phone carrier for wifi only?

[villandra]

I am about to buy a tablet. I'm looking seriously at Samsung. I want to use it as a computer only, with wifi only. I do NOT need a second cell phone. Repeat. En Anglais. (Everyone I have asked so far somehow found my question confusing, whyever they'd assume I'm buying a computer specifically because I'm a thief who wants to steal cell phone service.) I do NOT want a free, carrier-free way to use my tablet as a cell phone. I do NOT want advice on how to use some means to dial calls for free over the Internet. I want my tablet for a COMPUTER, specifically because my laptop is big, clunky and heavy and really sticks out in a room full of coworkers with tablets and cell phones.

Specifically, I want to read Kindle books, play Google games, and surf the Internet, watch You Tube videos and Netflix, and answer web mail. You do not see, "steal cell phone service" on that list, right? Good. Now we're cooking.

I work for a cell phone refurbisher, and they offer a substantial employee discount. They have alot of Samsung tablets. However, it seems that all of them are tied to cell phone carriers, like Sprint, AT&T, etc. They don't appear to have any Samsung tablets for sale that aren't tied to a cell phone carrier.

When I was resetting some Samsung phones on Friday, it wasn't at all clear that one can even set up a tablet, download apps, whatever, without setting up service with the cell phone carrier the phone is tied to. Can one simply turn it off, or if you choose a wifi connection on teh first screen do more options come up, or what?

If I buy one of these cell phone-company tied tablets, can I turn off the whatever, and just use the wifi?

If I do, will I be able to download apps from Google Play, Kindle from Amazon, etc?

Thanks!

Dora

 

[mikedt]

Sure you can buy non-carrier tablets that have cellular radios in them. No problem setting them up, even if they haven't got a SIM in them. Try Amazon. You can buy WiFi only tablets of course.

 

[Mikestony]

And even if it was tied (better word would be "branded", I suppose) to a carrier, you can still use the wifi.
I look at it this way, I still use my Sprint branded Evo4g as a wifi device...I can sign into google with it and download my apps etc....same with a tablet.
As Mikedt stated, there are tablets that are wifi only, so sure
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_in_-2_p_89_41?fst=asff&rh=n:172282,n:541966,k:wifi+tablets,p_89:Samsung&bbn=541966&keywords=wifi+tablets&ie=UTF8&qid=1442197024&rnid=2528832011

 

[Timberhawk]

My wife bought a used (she says) gen 4 iPad. There is no sim card in it. Other than the "No Sim" message at the top, it works like any other iPad. I have a Droid 4 that I use mostly for navigation and an at&t note 3 that I use for other stuff. Neither has a sim, just WiFi.

 

[villandra]

Thanks!

So, there are wifi only tablets available - problem is, my employer doesn't sell them. So a tablet that costs $160 or so refurbished would cost me $110 or so, sometimes less if it's scratched.

What about updating software? I saw an article that said that if you have a manufactured with cell phone carrier or whatever phone you won't be able to update software without a contract.

 

[Jfalls63]

I use my Verizon SCH i905 4G lte tab as wifi only. I enabled airplane mode to get rid of the searching for signal/no sim in status bar,then turn on wifi. As far as updates, if they are available you can get them over wifi also.

 

[lunatic59]

What about updating software? I saw an article that said that if you have a manufactured with cell phone carrier or whatever phone you won't be able to update software without a contract.

That's only for branded devices that had cellular service to start and carrier firmware. I have a refurb Galaxy Note 10.1 (2014 edition) that's wifi only. As long as the manufacture updates the firmware, you'll be able to update, too. Of course, it looks like Samsung has abandoned my device ... no updates since 4.4.2.