There’s a lot of talk about cellular service providers unrolling their 4G networks, but most people still don’t know the difference between the new and the old and how it will affect them. For starters the “G” means generation and yeap, you guessed it, we’re entering our fourth generation in technological advancements in the cellular service industry. So now you know why it is called what it is called, but what is the true difference? What can we expect to experience differently from what we are used to?

This may not make a huge difference with you, but the frequency bands are different between 3G and 4G. With 3G, the frequency is usually between 1.8 and 2.5 GHz (Gigahertz = unit of frequency) and can transfer data at a rate around 3 MB/second (about a song’s worth of data per second). With 4G, the frequency bandwidth is between 2 and 8 GHz and can transfer data from 3 MB/second up to 12 MB/second, but with the potential to get up to 200 MB/second. So that would allow users to view streaming video clearly in HD, download their favorite TV shows in minutes rather than hours, and allow for overall faster service while perusing the internet. The types of 4G broadband networks are LTE (Long-Term Evolution), Wimax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access), and WiFi.

When Verizon created their CDMA platform (the name for their 3G platform) they did not include the capabilities for upgrades to their 3G service to make it faster (unlike Sprint, for example, who was able to update their 3G service). As a result, Verizon is now rolling out 4G service and all of the other companies are soon to follow if they haven’t already. Of the main cellular carriers, T-Mobile has promised to roll out 4G soon (whatever that means), Sprint already has a 4G network, Verizon is in the process with some cities ready to go (like Boston and NYC) , and AT&T promises to roll out 4G in 2011.

So that is the basic gist of the difference between 3G and 4G, so you should be happy and excited to get your hands on a 4G enabled smartphone when you have your next available upgrade and when your carrier has a solid 4G infrastructure in place. I know there are 3G and 4G articles up everywhere, but if you haven’t read the differences just yet, perhaps this shed some light for you.

Apple unleashed its revolutionary new device today, the iPad, at a press conference at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco. Apple CEO Steve Jobs called the iPad,"our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device, at an unbelievable price. We think this is going to be a really great combination." The tablet, which ranges in price from $499, $599, and $699 for the 16GB, 32GB, 64GB WIFI-only models respectively, to $629, $729, and $829 for the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB 3G and WIFI models respectively, is what Apple perceives to be a third category product in between a smartphone and a laptop.

Aside from the ill-conceived name, which sounds closer to a feminine hygiene product than a state-of-the-art technological breakthrough (I personally favored the name iSlate), the iPad is downright cool. Only half an inch thick and weighing a pound and half, the 9.7-inch multitouch display is stunning and futuristic, looking like the iPhone on crack. There is also no correct way to hold the iPad; it adjusts itself to how the user is holding it. It runs on Apple’s own A4 chip, which Jobs said in the press conference is so fast it "screams." The iPad is a web-browser, an e-book reader (Apple unveiled an e-book application and store called iBooks), a gaming device, a productivity tool, an HD video player, a map and an e-mail client (complete with on-screen QWERTY keyboard and two pane interface). It can run apps out of the box in iPhone size or can be blown up to fill the iPad’s screen. Apple has also announced the iPad SDK platform, which will allow developers to create apps especially for the iPad. The iPad sports a 10-hour battery life, and can be on standby for more than a month. Jobs claimed in the conference that he could watch video on the iPad for an entire flight from San Francisco to Tokyo.

One noticeable feature missing is a camera, but many would gladly trade this feature for the ability to put any SIM card from any carrier into the iPad. Apple also introduced AT&T 3G plans for the iPad, starting at $14.99 for 250MB per month, or $29.99 for unlimited monthly usage. These plans are pre-paid, so iPad owners will not have to deal with the hassle of a contract, and owners can simply choose to use WIFI, especially if they have a WIFI card already.

One has to wonder if the low price is an effort to generate more revenue from content (iTunes store, App Store, and now the iBooks store). The iPad’s inception also affects two products specifically; the MacBook Air (which, with the iPad’s new keyboard dock, is now effectively dead) and e-book readers such as the Kindle and Nook. The iPad benefits from how closed the content on these e-book readers are in that the iPad can already do more than these products will ever be able to do. Some may point to the difference in price (the cheapest iPad is $499 and a Kindle is $259) as a reason that the Kindle and other e-book readers might still live on as is, but I think many people will spend the extra $240 for all the extra features.

Apple also introduced iWork for the iPad, a suite of productivity applications including Keynote and Pages, making the iPad a fully functional tool for anyone who needs to work on business or personal projects on the go.

However, the question remains, is there truly a need for a third category? As Jobs said in his closing remarks, "Do we have what it takes to establish a third category of products? An awesome product between the laptop and the smartphone. The bar is pretty high." Is Apple wondering this, possibly a reason for the iPad being priced at half what many pundits believed it would be? It is unfair to compare the iPad to netbooks, but isn’t a netbook essentially the middle ground between a phone and a laptop? And netbooks haven’t exactly taken off, because although more convenient, it’s money that the average consumer, especially in this economy, just doesn’t need to spend if they have a laptop. But then again, we’re talking about Apple. The company whose name is synonymous with technical innovation has released a new product that goes beyond the boundaries of any product on the market by far. No doubt, countless consumers will line up and gladly shell out $499 to $829 for their own iPad.

Will you?

The next generation of netbooks are a lot like cell phones, in that they don’t cost much up front, but you’ll be paying for privilege and convenience.

Until December 24, RadioShack is offering the LG X120 netbook for $49.99 with 2-years of mobile internet service.

The netbook is a true cell phone, and it’s a true netbook in every sense of the word. It’s designed for 3G mobile Internet service, but don’t expect to run photoshop or games on it. It does carry a 160GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM, however.

The LG X120 is a 10.1-inch laptop weighing 2.8lbs. that goes for $399 without activation. It’s available at 2,000 RadioShack stores nationwide.

The notorious Windows boot time can be an onerous necessity when all you want to do is check e-mail or hit up your favorite magazine (like Blast) for a quick hit of news.

Phoenix Technologies latest product, debuting at this year’s CES in Las Vegas, is called HyperSpace. It’s a slick, compact Linux based platform that circumvents the Windows load time by booting straight from BIOS. It installs alongside Windows, and allows the user to switch between the stripped down but aesthetically pleasing HyperSpace interface — which boasts instant web connectivity — and the hard drive based Windows platform at will.

Think of it as a 3G phone version of your laptop.

The boot time for HyperSpace from total shutdown is comparable to bringing a Windows machine out of sleep mode, which is a few seconds. Because the program boots from BIOS, it doesn’t require a spinning hard drive, which saves on battery power by up to 30 percent, according to Phoenix.

HyperSpace boasts a robust security system administered by Phoenix Technologies, disallowing any downloads not cleared by the Phoenix Technology auditing system. For more advanced users, such electronic handholding might not be ideal, but it comes with the package. Time will tell if it’s a winner, but from early glimpses of the system it appears to be a nice solution for those wanting to save on battery power and circumvent hard drive based apps by living online.

The HyperSpace platform starts at $39 for the basic system which runs on single core processors and $59 for the hybrid option which runs on dual core processors.