Recently I took the Sprint HTC Evo 4G down to Philadelphia for a weekend, the closest 4G zone to New York City, to see what all the 4G fuss is and will be about.

First, Evo's drool-icious pool of future tech makes it a groundbreaking device — not quite the shock the original iPhone was, but close. Evo's 4G connectivity, front-facing camera, HD camcorder, and especially its multi-user mobile hotspot capabilities, are all features future high-end cellphones will emulate.

But my Philadelphia experiment has revealed to me that 4G will mean more than just faster Web browsing, faster video/music/photo uploads and downloads, faster pussycat kill kill. 4G speeds and the capabilities they enable will literally change our lives. Here are five ways 4G technology will change the way we use our phones.

1. 4G as Ultimate Tethering

Evo includes MiFi-like mobile hotspot capabilities for up to eight simultaneous users. Once Verizon and AT&T launch their 4G LTE networks next year, incorporating a mobile hotspot into phones will be the most emulated Evo feature. Shockingly, Sprint isn't charging extra for hotspot usage; you just have to sign-up for the carrier's Premium Data service. I have to assume Verizon and AT&T won't be so altruistic, especially since they'll lose their modem-card business. But it'll be worth it to not have to carry around both a phone and a wireless card on trips. A mobile hotspot in your 4G phone would also kill the need to pay extra for a 3G/4G iPad or whatever copycat tablet appears.

2. Sharing Your Phone's Connection Will Become Common

With 4G, we'll all become walking hotspots. If you have 4G connectivity, so can anyone around you. Sharing your 4G signal will be the next cool thing, especially as iPads and other tablets proliferate. I'm sure some hip expression or text-like acronym will spring up to indicate you either can offer 4G hotspot capability to a nearby friend or new friend (4G4U?) or beg a nearby 4G user to hooked you up (4GME?).

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