4G technology is a confusing collection of cellular standards. The Inspire uses a system called HSPA+, which the International Telecommunications Union only declared worthy of the 4G label back in December; other 4G phones use LTE. AT&T is hedging its bets by rolling out 20 phones using either HSPA+ or LTE in 2011, with the Inspire in the vanguard seat.
Which version of 4G will be faster? That remains to be seen; both are evolving fast. But AT&T's Mobility chief executive, Ralph de la Vega, claims to have rolled out HSPA+ to "virtually 100 percent of our mobile broadband network," and says Inspire users should expect a download speed of 6Mbps on day one. That's far from HSPA+'s theoretical limit of 21Mbps, but it's not too shabby.
The Android-powered Inspire looks good in other areas, too. It's cheap at $99 (with a two-year contract). Its 4.3-inch display is the largest AT&T has offered yet. It offers an 8-megapixel camera, HD video recording and a built-in Wifi hotspot, so your laptop can use it. That alone may be enough to make Macbook-toting Apple users switch.