Name: Inspire 4G
Brand: HTC

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Maps and apps

Maps

We've said it before and we'll say it again: Free Google Maps + Navigation is a winning combination, one major advantage for the Android platform over competitors like Apple. Despite poky data speeds in our area, we had no problem using turn-by-turn navigation while out and about.

Of course, as a carrier-branded device, you also have the option of using AT&T Navigator, Ma Bell's own $9.99 per month solution with TeleNav maps; the first 30 days are included free or you can pay $2.99 for a one-day pass, both billed to your wireless account.

Apps

That said, there are plenty of equally good options available from the Android Market as a one time only purchase such as CoPilot Live – paying monthly for turn-by-turn navigation in this day and age seems a bit nuts to us.

There are a smattering of other AT&T-branded apps on display with the HTC Inspire 4G, including AT&T Code Scanner (a free and handy QC and UPC barcode reader), AT&T Family Map (a monthly subscription service for keeping tabs on your loved ones), AT&T U-verse Live TV, myAT&T (for account management) and YPMobile for local search, including gas prices.

HTC also includes their branded HTC Hub and HTC Likes apps, and entertainment lovers will appreciate the included Blockbuster app – upon activation, Inspire 4G owners will receive a $5 credit for renting or buying movies from Blockbuster On Demand, with the option of a 30-day free trial for the by mail service and a "rent one, get one free" Blu-ray rental coupon via email.

Last but not least, HTC and AT&T include dedicated apps for Footprints (GPS tracking), Friend Stream (social networking), Quickoffice (Word and Excel documents), Videos, Voice Recorder, Weather and others, plus all of the usual Google staples and Adobe Flash, even though it's on its way out now in favor of HTML5.

One game – the slightly dated racer Asphalt 5 from Gameloft – also comes preinstalled, but it's actually a demo version and requires a $6.99 charge to your phone bill to upgrade to the full version.