yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nokia Lumia 920] prjkthack:
Oh yeah, I'm totally speaking from the perspective of purchasing a phone/plan in the US. I know little about other areas of the world, except that its far more common to purchase phones for full price and without a contract than it is here in the US. I wish the US were that way as well, as it certainly has more benefits than downsides (I try to purchase un-subsidized whenever I can), but sadly the market here and the overall mentality of how to purchase phones has been muddled with contracts and subsidization.
[Nokia Lumia 920] AnyMal:
You need to do the math. Buying on contract is a HUGE waste of money.
[Nokia Lumia 920] prjkthack:
I never said it wasn't a waste of money.

Its definitely more expensive, but there is a tradeoff between using a prepaid service versus a contract.

There is value in both, and I'm looking for the best phones with the best coverage, services, and convenience. Contract is the only option that gives that.

Prepaid gives you low prices (on certain things) and flexibility.

More expensive? Yes, but you get more for your money on contract, versus the bare minimum on prepaid. There is a reason why you pay less on prepaid, and its simply because you get less. You don't need math to know that. For some people, that's enough, but I don't want enough, I want my money's worth, and I'm willing to spend a little more to get all the extras. Prepaid data is also commonly more expensive on prepaid services, and with all the data these smartphones use, the cost of it can easily meet or exceed the cost of contract-based smartphone/data plans. Prepaid is totally the way to go if all you want is a basic phone, but for quality smartphone hardware and service, only contract can provide that (with few exceptions).
[Nokia Lumia 920] AnyMal:
Huh? With Straight Talk I am getting exactly same service I was getting with AT&T, all for a measly $45 per month. What am I missing?
[Nokia Lumia 920] prjkthack:
StraightTalk (TracFone) is nice, and is probably one of the better prepaid services out there, but there are still some downsides:

4G LTE - Currently, no access to AT&T, Verizon, or Sprint's 4G LTE network.

Customer Service - there is none. robots upon robots on the phone, then if you can get to someone, they are foreign people who are difficult to understand, and who ultimately have a toolset that does not allow many changes or much flexibility for them unless they speak to someone higher up. If you don't want to deal with someone on the phone, then you can go to Walmart, where you can... oh wait, there's no customer service there either. -_-'

Coverage and roaming - Exactly the same as TracFone (since it is TracFone). Depending on your phone, you get AT&T and/or T-Mobile, or Verizon and/or Sprint. You don't get access to these carrier's extended roaming agreements, which means that roaming is limited to non-existent. Not to mention

Online support - Abysmal. Nowhere near the amount of tools and options for managing your account as any contract carrier can provide you.

Devices - StraightTalk's selection of phones is typical of a prepaid carrier. Poor choices for basic phones and older/slower hardware for whatever small amount of smartphones they offer. To get a real phone, you need to BYOD and that costs a pretty penny (that most people are unwilling to pay).

Additional features - StraightTalk is, like most other prepaid carriers, barebones. Individual line service (no family plans), less international/roaming options, less extra features (stuff like FamilyMap, roadside assitance, AT&T Navigator, A-List, Insurance, etc.), little to not infrastructure to sort out issues coverage wise or technical issues with your cellular service, advanced billing/tracking/history functionality, no official support for wireless hotspot/tethering, and a long list of common data activities that are not supported by StraightTalk (violation of the terms can lead to the end of your service with StraightTalk), etc.

And really this goes for all prepaid carriers. None of them offer the depth and comprehensiveness as a contract carrier can. There is a reason why the prepaid carriers piggyback off of the big carriers, they simply don't have the infrastructure or support (or money) to really provide you a fleshed out mobile service. MVNOs also come and go very frequently, so while you can be pretty sure that AT&T and Verizon (and maybe Sprint and T-Mobile) will be around for a while, you can't say the same for prepaid carriers. So many pop-up every year and die off shortly (RIP Helio). Its a tough business.
[Nokia Lumia 920] AnyMal:
None of your points are compelling or even valid to begin with.

4G LTE - even for AT&T customers it's only available in handful of locations. Heck, even if it was widely available, HSPA is plenty fast for all data applications.

Customer service - only used once. Filled out an online form and was contacted back in few hours. I also hear that you can get a hold of them even quicker through Facebook.

Coverage and Roaming - not an issue. I am covered no matter where I am as long as I am on AT&T. I travel extensively and my service is identical to what it was when I was paying to AT&T, but at the fraction of the cost.

Online support - covered above.

Devices - not an issue. Tons of smartphones are available on the secondary market for any budget.

Additional Features - Two all-you-can-eat lines with ST cost me exactly the same as a single line with AT&T. Nobody in their right mind should pay AT&T (or any other carriers) for "ripsurance". It's a rip off, plain and simple. All other services you mention should not be obtained from AT&T either; they can be obtained for free or for a lot less elsewhere. I do not know what "data activities" you're referring to, but I stream audio and video all the time, and use the hotspot frequently, but I am yet to run into any issues. Sure, you can get throttled or even cut off if you abuse your data plan, but the same goes for AT&T as well.

Bottom line, OP asked about the most economical way, and there is absolutely no denying that PAYGo IS the way to go, even if you have to pay full price of the device up front. There is no way of fooling the simple math.
[Nokia Lumia 920] prjkthack:
Read your Terms of Service. StraightTalk specifically prohibits many common data activities. Have you even used LTE before? A world of a difference. I do agree that AT&T's HSPA+ network can't be beat, but dropping from LTE to HSPA (or even worse) is just not fun. And when it comes to devices, I'm not talking about the hundreds of below-average smartphones that you can of course get for bargain basement prices. These are computers after all, you don't want to be caught with a below-average device. I'm talking about getting the best of the best (such as the Lumia 920, which is what the OP is talking about). Speaking about the average consumer, dropping $700 to $900 for a top of the line device is just not an option. A contract gives you the option to get great service and awesome devices. So while dropping a wad of cash for a phone may not be an issue for you, it is for most of the country. Facebook does not equal online support. It compliments it, but does not replace it. You can get your issue resolved in a few hours, I can take care of it in a few minutes. Be glad that you only had to use customer service once, because when you have any real issues, it won't be fun. And insurance can be a rip-off for some, and a life-saver for others. Really all depends on what's going on.

Bottom line, OP didn't ask for a math lesson. OP wanted our opinions of postpaid vs prepaid, and while we can all agree to disagree, there is no doubt that both sides have their advantages and disadvantages regardless of whether you pay a little more or a little less. Value is subjective. Its up to the OP to decide what is more valuable to him/herself.
[Nokia Lumia 920] xsever:
I am with Rogers Canada with 2 years left on my contract. I do not want to renew my contract for another 3 years yet so that I can get the 920 for the subsidized price.

Given that Rogers will offer the 920 off-contract for $600+ and having to wait for them to release the updates, it seems my best option will be to buy the 920 factory unlocked from eBay or so and use it on the Rogers network.

When it gets old or when I want to change phones, I can easily sell it. That is a much better option than locking yourself up with your provider for longer if you don't have a hardware upgrade to use.
[Nokia Lumia 920] Insert_here:
Hi Bella welcome to the forums,

As for your question there are both pluses and minuses to contract/prepaid. Personally I find it better for me to go the prepaid route. I will be purchasing this phone internationally unlocked (screw you AT&T and your branding also hoping international phone is pentaband like fcc papers state) for about ~$600 USD +/-.

I really like T-Mobo's monthly 4G thingy they have (100 mins/ultd text/ultd data (throttled after 5GB) for only 30.00/month. Lucky me T-mobile has refarmed my area so I'll be getting 3G speeds instead of 2G speeds b/c of lack of AWS band on L920. I'll be saving a bunch compared to contract in the long haul but initially will cost quite the penny b/c of phone purchase (but hey that's why I've been saving :laugh:)

I'm really not a big fan of Carriers and their plans :p Hope you make the right choice for you and enjoy your upcoming Lumia 920
[Nokia Lumia 920] Poecifer:
Just my two cents, I get 4g LTE on straight talk using an ATT device... I pay $45 a month and bought an HTC One X brand new for 300 online. Over the course of two years that's $1380 as opposed to $2355 through ATT. With taxes and other applicable fees that difference increases even moreso making prepaid a pretty obvious choice.
[Nokia Lumia 920] prjkthack:
How did you get LTE on your device? You need a special SIM in order to do that, and right now, per AT&T's company policy, only AT&T has those special LTE SIM cards. StraightTalk only officially distributes regular AT&T 3G SIM cards rebranded for StraightTalk. I imagine sometime in the future they'll allow MVNOs to use the LTE network, but right now, they are not.

Not that I don't believe you, but are you sure you are getting 4G LTE? The One X (and any 4G LTE device really) specifically has a 4G LTE icon in the top tray when you are on it (at least on an official ROM, if you are on a custom ROM, then who knows what you are really on, lol). An icon that says 4G is not the same as 4G LTE, just so you know.

If you are getting 4G LTE, I'm sure sharing how is good because a lot of people would love to know how, as that is one of the big downsides of any MVNO at the moment.
[Nokia Lumia 920] Crumpets:
I'm currently on a Prepaid deal, whereby I get $1000 talk and text + 2gb (or so) data, for $60 per month with Telstra in Australia.

Compare that to the $60 plan, which currently, in nokia terms, gets you a Lumia 800 $0 upfront and $0 extra per month, with $600 worth of bonuses and 1.5gb of data. There isn't that much between them.

In the end, $60 per month is still $60 per month, and it'd be nice to get a phone out of it too.
[Nokia Lumia 920] r1tesh:
Prepay is a better alternative.
[Nokia Lumia 920] Crumpets:
Well, look at this from the overall standpoint. $60 contract is $1440 over 24 months, phone included. Spending $60 per month prepaid plus a, for argument's sake, $500 outright phone is $1940 per 24 months.

I barely touch the $1000 talk&text, as most of my expenditure is mobile data, and what's 500MB less a month anyway?

In short, for me, with my usage, the Contract probably wouldn't be such a bad move.

In full, that's just me. Your choice of carrier, phone, plan/prepaid, etc. needs to be decided based on HOW you will use your phone, not what people say in a forum.
[Nokia Lumia 920] Poecifer:
Not sure really, I used a sim card provided by StraightTalk allocated for ATT's phones. I specifically ordered the micro rather than cutting it like myself as I've done in the past and now I get the 4g LTE symbol and I regularly get about 38-43 mbps download speeds. This is much better than 4-9 I was getting prior.
[Nokia Lumia 920] Venekor:
3G is being upgraded to 42mbps across the board, these speeds you record aren't worthly of 4G which should be above 200mbps tbh since 3G can be upgraded to like 128mbps.
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
I need help before i snap this thing over my knee. lol

Right i am very tech savvy but still a bitt noob when it comes to flashing etc. So basically, i rooted, several times my one x and finally landed

on the viper x rom and upon using the multi shot on my camera it caused a fatal error on my inbuilt SD and bricked my phone. I am now trying to

restore to official vodafone RUU so i can return this thing as this is the second time this has happened now.

However i am getting error 140 Bootloader error. Can someone please help.

C:\onexroot>fastboot getvar all

(bootloader) version: 0.5a

(bootloader) version-bootloader: 1.12.0000

(bootloader) version-baseband: 1.1204.105.14

(bootloader) version-cpld: None

(bootloader) version-microp: None

(bootloader) version-main: 2.17.161.4

(bootloader) serialno: HT24DW118008

(bootloader) imei: 359188049780711

(bootloader) product: endeavoru

(bootloader) platform: HBOOT-T30S

(bootloader) modelid: PJ4610000

(bootloader) cidnum: VODAP001

(bootloader) battery-status: good

(bootloader) battery-voltage: 3930mV

(bootloader) devpower: 70

(bootloader) partition-layout: None

(bootloader) security: on

(bootloader) build-mode: SHIP

(bootloader) boot-mode: FASTBOOT

(bootloader) commitno-bootloader: None

(bootloader) hbootpreupdate: 2

(bootloader) gencheckpt: 0

Thanks

Kris
[HTC One X] Brownie2k:
I'm guessing you've relocked your bootloader and flashed stock recovery before trying to flash the RUU?

Plus a quick search shows Error 140 means the RUU you're trying to flash has an older bootloader than the one on the phone.

Are you sure the RUU you have matches your version on your phone? (2.17.161.4)
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
Nope the RUU is older something like 1.4.xxxx the problem is there doesnt seem to be any RUU above 2 let alone 2.17 does this mean im goosed? and yeah ive relocked boot loader flashed stock recovery although it will let let me flash boot.img i just get access denied when i try that.
[HTC One X] Brownie2k:
You can't flash a boot.img with a locked bootloader as far as i know.

That will be why you're getting the Error 140, the bootloader on the RUU is older than the one on your phone. You can only flash the equivilent or higher bootloader.

I know there is a few OTA's out there for carriers, but not sure if it'll help you. I'm sure someone else with more knowledge of flashing RUU's will be able to help more.
[HTC One X] Kutusov:
Probably a silly question, but don't you have a CW backup from before flashing Viperx that you can restore via recovery? It's the way I went back to stock and possibly the best thing you can do if you have a rooted phone...
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
Well.... Thats the funny bit. Its was saved to the sd card *facepalm* Which has now corrupted and had to be formatted so no more backup. The bit I am stuck on is how i get back to stock firmware. The only RUU with a higher hboot than current is HTC ONE X EUROPE but that one wont flash because the CID doesn't match and i don't know how to fix. Hate my life! lol
[HTC One X] joewong1991:
Unlock bootloader

Flash latest cwm you can mount sd card and Copy a rom over

Flash boot.img

Flash rom fixed

Heres a tool to help you with every step

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1734365

Heres stock rom

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1546970

---------- Post added at 12:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:33 PM ----------

And my fav

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1705334
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
Hey cheers bro for advice but that isnt what im trying to do. The handset is needing to be returned to vodafone and im trying to get it back onto the official vodafone UK endeavouru rom and unroot but the the offieal RUU are only running around about 1.21.x.x.x.x but the viper x rom has but me on 2.17.161.4 which means the RUU is failing because of bootloader error, im still a bit confused on this but it seems i cant downgrade and my handset is NTEGRA 3 international version which mean no S-OFF, no super CID and no HBOOT access hence, pardon the language.. F**cked phone... :(
[HTC One X] joewong1991:
No worrys but why do you wont to send it back?
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
Because the guys at Vodafone will just charge me 350 quid if i send it in with a customer rom and custom bootloader on it lol I need it back to stock.
[HTC One X] joewong1991:
But i dont see why you wont to send it back all you have done is formatted your sd card and lost all you backups i would just install a new rom and start from fresh
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
Are sorry i miss read, though it said why dont you, erm because i have one of the faulty ones. Issue with wifi disconnects if you move the phone, spoke to HTC who said some of the One X UK editions have been know to have wifi issues and to contact vodafone for replacement, i was going to just live with it but this is now the 4th maybe 5th time the SD card has currupted, twice was before i even rooted it so theres something wrong me thinks. Thats was why i rooted because i though maybe it was the bloatware damaging the files on the phone but nope looks like ive got a dodgy phone. lol.
[HTC One X] M@c|-|oR:
Mate, no matter what you do, HTC will be able to see that you were messing with the phone. Your bootloader will be "RELOCKED", instead of "LOCKED" as in the original unit.

So, whatever the problem is within the phone, they have a reason to charge you for the repair, as the warranty will be void. I even believe it's said on htcdev website, during the unlocking process.
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
Oh Im well aware of that but this is a contract phone, HTC dont need to touch it, Voda do ;) which coincidently their techs dont check to see whether it is locked/relocked just whether there is custom software on there. I must of had about 6 different handsets rooted then re locked and repaired by vodafone.
[HTC One X] M@c|-|oR:
Good for you, mate! Then, search for stock boot.img, stock recovery, and proper RUU, and you're good to go!
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
Well this is what i need help on, im still a bit stumped understanding bootloaders and allsorts, my hboot number is 1.12.0000

but my main version is 2.17.161.4 and when im trying to use the RUU all i get is error message 140 saying that im basically trying to restore to a previous bootloader and this is what im stuck on because the RUU is "Footballs" RUU and is the most recent vodafone UK one. What am i doing wrong. This is where nobody helps me. Thanks for talking to me btw you dont understand how much i apprectaiate this. Oh and ive tried flashing boot.img and system.img before locking and then using RUU but it when i flash system it just says failed :/
[HTC One X] M@c|-|oR:
Oh, now I see your main issue! Sorry, I disregarded the root cause of your trouble...

What you need is proper RUU only. But, that's easier said than done. Did you search filecatory.com or htcruu.com. There are plenty of RUU's there. But you MUST run 2.17 RUU. So, if Vodaphone didn't release 2.17 update, .. You know what I mean.

The other way you could go is finding custom rom with 1.29 base, flashing that one, then flashing stock boot.img, stock recovery, RELOCKING bootloader (don't forget this!), and then running RUU. Shortly, bringing your base to the one of RUU's.
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
Aww this is getting wierd now, so im looking down the avenue that we have discussed i remembered i can extract roms from the RUU itself which is how i repaired my phone last time but when i 7-zip into the ROM (bearing in mind this is the latest RUU aswell) the HBOOT .img file is 0.95.0000 ....So how the hell did i get onto 1.12.0000 ?? I havnt ran any RUU or anything and surely the ViperX Rom cant update my hboot image... can it? And the RUU which i am trying to use is the software i was on before i re-rooted.... oh god my head hurts....
[HTC One X] M@c|-|oR:
I have no idea how you got 1.12 hboot, really. You are right, ViperX should not have anything to do with hboot...

If I were you I wouldn't mess too much with extracting the ROM from RUU. Again, what RUUs did you find? What is their base?
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
I have found a few with a 1.21 and 1.22 ans a few 1.29 base but it will not flash the system.img it just fails which apperntly seems to be a common occurance because the system files are to big.
[HTC One X] M@c|-|oR:
It's because your base is higher.

Did you try flashing custom ROM with 1.29 base? This should work.
[HTC One X] BenPope:
Wow, huge comprehension fail in this thread.

Looks like you had 1.29 and installed OTA for 2.17.

You need to get a backup of stock 2.17 ROM, maybe search in the stock RUU collection thread in the development section (its sticky) or ask for one from somebody there.

Then you flash it and its boot.img, system.img etc., oem lock and send it off. (backup you sd card).
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
Hi ben, thanks for helping but i havnt done any ota updates. and vodafone do not have any RUU or stock roms that are or on base 2.x or higher, the highest is 1.29 hence the problem. Plus the only thing i can find are RUU's which wont work because somehom my bootloader has updated to a higher version than the one in the RUU
[HTC One X] Kutusov:
:D Sorry mate, couldn't resist. And I do admire your coolness, I would be crawling walls by now!

Anyway, and returning to the backup thing... can't you get someone to pass you along a backup from a Vodafone UK? I've got one from O2 with an HBOOT 1.12. Do you think this could help you get back to a compatible HBOOT that would allow you to use Vodafone's RUU? Or maybe such basic backup files exist on the internet?
[HTC One X] Brownie2k:
It does look like you've installed the Vodafone 2.17 OTA before flashing ViperX. Unless you bought it after September 17th and it's a newer One X with the 2.17 firmware already installed?

I've found the 2.17 OTA file, but i'm not sure how you'd be able to restore back to stock using it? Does anyone else know how it can be done?

Edit:

Here is the link for Vodafone UK 2.17 OTA: http://fotadl.htc.com/OTA_ENDEAVOR_....29.161.13_release_280431g20qld0c8sg0f1qb.zip
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
Well!! I might be in luck in regards with hboot i dunno whats happened there really dont. In regards with then 2.17 thats off viperx thats is their base so thats how ive got that up there, and in regards with RUU my mate reckons he might be able to engineer one, might be a little dodgy but as long as its got that vodafone logo im happy so i will keep you updated.

Meh its only a phone haha besides im an apprentice ethical hacker so its a challenge. Since the thing is semi hard bricked anyways im trying to give football a helpnig hand in achieving s-off. certainly cant break it anymore than it already is lol
[HTC One X] Brownie2k:
ViperX won't update the HBOOT, it doesn't contain the firmware files.

I was running 2.17 on HBOOT 0.94.000 i think it was for a while before restoring to stock and updating to HBOOT 1.12. If you could somehow engineer the 2.17 OTA into a RUU, the you'd be able to flash it, but i really don't know how you'd do it.
[HTC One X] klashnikoff:
A **** lot of software a lot of time and a strong knowledge of hexidecimal haha Yh i know ViperX didnt put me on hboot 1.12 i said it put me on base 2.17 :D
[HTC One X] Brownie2k:
Aaah apologies, I misread haha. I'm wondering if you can download mike1986s stock rom, get the Vodafone startup screen from the ruu and copy it over? Wouldn't that, in essence, be a stock rom?

I mean it'd show up as stock in settings, and have the voda boot screen, would they really look that deep into it?
[HTC One X] Kutusov:
Good luck with that and I hope you two manage to get the S-Off. It would mean a world of difference with this thing!