Activating and swapping was used very loosely. Yes you are correct. Activating a new line will have a contract while swapping devices on an existing line will not. As for no contract it does still exist with the name "Sprint As You Go" but the only smartphones offered are: LG Optimus Elite, preowned IPhone 4, Samsung Victory, and Samsung Epic Touch(S2 with a different name). To find the no contract click the "No contract" tab when looking at phones and it will display the eligible phones for the no contracted plans.