When we heard that Sprint was rolling out 4G service in Austin, we knew it was something that we wanted to check out. For years people have been talking about how great WiMax was going to be, and now it’s finally here. We’ve all had or tried out 3G network data services that generally saw download speeds of 600kbps. The other day we ran a network speed test at our happy hour location, Buffalo Billiards, and got download speeds of 6Mbps and higher. That’s a 10x speed improvement!

Come to Austin Tech Happy Hour on Thursday (Feb 18th), and check it out for yourself. Blog readers can use the code “startupblog” (or use this link) for a discount.

For people who work in small workgroups, the Overdrive Mobile Hot Spot (see the picture) creates an instant local WiFi network for up to 5 devices (cameras, Skype phones, computers, etc). And since there are no wires, you could bring it with you to a co-working site or a client’s site. Or if you want to do something crazy like have your team work at the park or something, the Overdrive runs on rechargeable batteries.

Considering that a T-1 line is 1.54Mbps, that is the equivalent of four T-1′s only wireless so it’s mobile. And is basically fits in your pocket (almost). All of this runs off the Clearmax WiMax network, of which Sprint is one of the owners. Call me a geek, but I think that’s kinda cool.

Thanks to Sprint for sponsoring the Austin Tech Happy Hour, and we hope to see you there for some hands-on demos, great networking, and fun.