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There is no doubt that 4G is nice - where and when it works. I was on a demo RAZR last night and ran market updates - I was trying to do something else - and the update did not get in the way of my productivity the way it is wont to do on a 3G connection. You've got to kind of plan your app upgrades on a 3G connection - with 4G, it *flies*. Speed is always *better* in a certain regard. There is no doubt that faster transfer speeds have been driving technology for the last 25 years. I started out with a 300 baud modem on a C-64. My first download was a 42k BASIC helicopter program from Q-Link (which became AOL). It took two hours to complete. We're here, doing this on the web now today - because of broadband speeds. Faster speed opens up new possibilities. The problem with 4G isn't that the speed isn't welcome - it is that the bandwidth caps limit the usefulness of how I can leverage that increased speed. 4G speeds crippled by bandwidth caps make the 4G push about as exciting as 3D TV technology. You've given me something that sounds neat - but it is hard to find a real useful way to apply it. Faster market app updates is a trivial evolution of my mobile experience. I like it - but it isn't a *driver* for upgrade cycles. Without bandwidth caps - it *could* be, though.

Ultimately, though - I agree with you. There has been a huge FOCUS on 4G as being a driver for mobile upgrade cycles - while the phones themselves haven't brought a lot of MEANINGFUL revolution in what they deliver. Together, the changes have been incremental, not innovative - even from Apple. Siri is a cool trick, when it works - but it isn't a break-the-bank must-have-it feature or product enhancement, and OTHERWISE, it rides on a platform that is largely indistinguishable from the previous generation of iPhone. The Android market moves quicker in handset innovation (your latest and greatest Android device does have a very short life-span before the NEXT bestest handset is out there). But even there... drawing a distinction between the Droid 2, Droid X, Droid Bionic and Droid Razr (and Galaxy S) is relatively difficult. They're mostly a lot alike. Heck, even the budget Pantech Breakout has most of the BASIC features of the RAZR, Bionic and Galaxy. The differences are by very small degrees. After Apple's run with the iPhone over the last 4 years or so - trivial enhancement by degree doesn't inspire a strong desire to upgrade. In fact, as I head into an upgrade cycle - I'm torn about leaving the Droid 2 for the alternatives - mostly because of a "Devil I know" vs. "Devil I don't know" paradox. In testing the Droid Razr, there is a lot about it that makes me drool - but, there are things that I wonder, "How will I feel about THIS part in 5 months". If the camera is a step back from my Droid 2 (which, despite higher megapixels, it might be) - then I might not want to upgrade in that direction. Those kind of concerns indicate a certain platform plateau and stability to me. I might be wrong - but I think right now we're in a stage of kind of relatively flat upward growth.