In the past, when I used an HSPA+ device with mobile hotspot to work on the road, posting blog entries and uploading images and video, I'd often have to stop due to insufficient coverage or data speed. Just last week while traveling by train from New York to Boston, the Amtrak Wi-Fi, which was spotty to begin with, got so slow that it was practically useless. I turned on my LTE mobile hotspot and I forgot all about slow Internet connections.

But again, mobile hotspot functionality is an add-on to your data plan, so you'll pay more for the convenience. And you'll also likely use more data when connected to a hotspot, and possibly paying more for data overages.

4)

Mobile videoconferencing isn't new; Skype has offered mobile videoconference functionality for years and Apple brought it to the masses of iPhone users with FaceTime.

But LTE makes smartphone videoconferencing actually work. And work well. If you've ever tried to use a videoconferencing client over an HSPA+ or slower network, you know the experience is rarely a smooth one. Either video quality is poor and audio is delayed or video is choppy. Videoconferencing gets old quickly when your network isn't fast enough to offer a seamless audio and video experience.