AT&T Kicks Off 4G Offering with HTC Inspire Smartphones

By Ashok Bindra, TMCnet Contributor

To widen its lead in smartphone offerings this year, AT&T is committed to supporting Android (News - Alert)-based devices. Consequently, the national carrier has announced that it plans to offer two 4G smartphones in this quarter. And one of them is HTC Inspire 4G, which the company will begin offering on Feb. 13.

According to AT&T (News - Alert), the HTC Inspire 4G is the first 4G mobile phone to run the Android 2.2 platform and the AT&T mobile hotspot application. In addition, AT&T said that the 4.3-inch super LCD display on the HTC (News - Alert) Inspire 4G will be the largest in the AT&T portfolio, and the first to offer the next-generation HTC Sense experience. An 8-megapixel camera with HD video recording is also an attractive feature of the HTC 4G smartphone. It will cost $99.99 after a two-year agreement beginning Feb. 13, in company-owned retail stores and online, AT&T said.

AT&T has completed the deployment of HSPA+ to virtually 100 percent of its mobile broadband network, which enables 4G speeds when combined with Ethernet or fiber backhaul.

With the next-generation of HTC Sense, the HTC Inspire 4G offers even more ways to stay connected, including FriendStream, which delivers Facebook (News - Alert), Twitter and Flickr updates in a consolidated view. The HTC Inspire 4G also offers customers the ability to pinpoint the location of a lost phone on a map and send a command to make the phone sound an alert – even while on "silent" mode – through the htcsense.com website. If needed, owners can also remotely wipe all of the phone's data with a single command in addition to forwarding calls and text messages to a different number.

"We are  kicking off an exciting year for AT&T's smartphone portfolio, and leading off with our first 4G phone," said Jeff Bradley, senior vice president, Devices, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, in a statement. He added, "With its iconic design, 4G speeds and awesome features, Inspire 4G is going to attract new customers and please existing AT&T subscribers."

Want to learn more about 4G wireless technologies? Then be sure to attend the 4GWE Conference, collocated with TMC’s (News - Alert) ITEXPO East, taking place Feb 2-4, 2011, in Miami. The 4GWE Conference provides unmatched networking opportunities and a robust conference program representing the wireless ecosystem. The conference not only brings together the best and brightest in the wireless industry, it actually spans the communications and technology industry. To register, click here.

(source: http://4g-wirelessevolution.tmcnet.com/topics/4g-wirelessevolution/articles/140517-att-kicks-off-4g-offering-with-htc-inspire.htm)