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HTC Inspire 4G: Affordable and Entertaining

03.02.2011
AT&T isn't exactly known for its hot , but the ($100 with a two year contract from AT&T; price as of 2/2/11), one of many 4G phones debuting this year that will challenge the iPhone 4 as the carrier's top dog. The Inspire 4G is essentially AT&T's version of Sprint's EVO 4G--minus the front-facing camera, kickstand and HDMI out. The Inspire 4G is a solid phone at an excellent price; shutterbugs will especially be pleased with the superb 8-megapixel camera.

Design

This is a bit finicky, but I'm not a huge fan of the way HTC has designed the SIM card and battery slots. Rather making the battery cover one removable piece, you have to remove two different panels to get to these slots. The battery slot was especially hard to remove and put back together. I felt like I had to use some force to get the piece to snap in--which is never a good feeling.

The is otherwise minimal yet attractive and it feels nice and solid in hand. It is slightly thinner than the EVO and a touch lighter as well. The 4.3-inch WVGA display looks gorgeous and nicely showcases HTC Sense. Beneath the display, you'll find the typical Android buttons: Home, Menu, Back and Search. On the bottom spine, you'll find the micro-USB port. The left spine houses the volume rocker while the right is bare. The power switch sits at the top of the phone.

HTC Sense with Android 2.2

Out of the box, the Inspire runs Android 2.2 (otherwise known as "Froyo") with HTC's custom-built overlay, called Sense, running over it. Hopefully, the Inspire will be updated to Android 2.3 sooner rather than later--an upgrade that should improve performance overall. I've written a lot about Android 2.2 and HTC Sense in other articles, so I will just quickly summarize the important parts of the operating system.