First AT&amp;T 4G Smartphone to Drop Feb. 13

AT&T is dying for you to try out its newly branded 4G network, �and you’ll finally be able to with a new phone.

AT&T announced its HTC Inspire 4G on Tuesday, the first smartphone able to access the company’s HSPA+ 4G network. The phone will be available beginning Feb. 13, retailing for $100 with a two-year contract.

The phone comes with the list of standard features we’ve been seeing in 2011 smartphone debuts: a 1-GHz Snapdragon processor, 4GB of internal storage and microSD card storage expandable up to 32GB.

It’s also got the obligatory back facing 8-megapixel camera for glamor shots, front facing camera for video chat and general vanity purposes, and a fat 4.3-inch super AMOLED screen to admire all of those photos you’ve taken. (Welcome, everyone, to the age of Narcissus.)

The Inspire also has mobile hotspot capability, the first AT&T smartphone to include it. It will also be running Android, of course, though it’ll be version 2.2 (Froyo) rather than 2.3 (Gingerbread), the most recently released Android update for smartphones.

Since AT&T rolled out its 4G network earlier this year, the company has made big plans for 4G releases in 2011. AT&T expects to debut 20 different 4G devices over the next year, twice the number of upcoming 4G products from competitor Verizon. While Verizon currently offers LTE network technology to 4G subscribers in a limited capacity (38 metropolitan areas over 22 states, as of today), AT&T’s network currently consists of backhauled HSPA+ technology. AT&T is installing its own LTE network, however, to be rolled-out mid-2011 with full deployment estimated by 2013.

As the Inspire is the first AT&T 4G (or “3.5G,” or whatever you want to call it) handset to debut in 2011, we’re anxious to get our hands on one for road testing. When we do, we’ll let you know if the carrier’s 4G branding lives up to its name.

Photo: HTC Inspire/Courtesy of AT&T

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