[Q] Use Device Without Sprint Activation? topic

I was curious if the phone is useable without activating on Sprint network? I plan on purchasing a used one on eBay for use as a music player/movie player and for some casual games and retro gaming, but I did not know if Sprint required activation before you could use the phone. And if there is any way to effectively unlock the device so I don't have to worry about Sprint, that would be great too, although I realize CDMA is a strict network without using SIM cards, so it isn't as simple as removing the SIM card to get rid of Sprint. Any help is appreciated.

Thanks,
Forerunner23