The original Droid was the phone that changed Android's fortunes in the US. Now, Verizon is hoping that it will get people excited about 4G and the fourth iteration lands in the US. The handset is also the slimmest 4G slider phone yet, according to Verizon, even though it has a rather swanky looking, edge-lit QWERTY keyboard.

Under all that external goodness, there's a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB or RAM and an eight-megapixel camera which can record 1080p video. An HDMI output means that you can also hook the phone up to your TV, and enjoy videos on the big screen, if the built-in 4-inch quarter-HD screen isn't enough for you. There will also be a Lapdock available, as with other recent Motorola handsets.

4G allows for speeds of up to 12 Mbps down and 5 Mbps up, and you can share your super-fast 4G connection with up to eight other devices, via the built-in connection sharing. 

The phone also has a nano-coating, which will repel water, and make it resistant to those little water-based mishaps that befall us all from time-to-time. Motocast allows you to stream photos, video and music to your your TV, and also to computers via the Internet. 

Internal storage, for your stuff, is 16GB, and there's support for microSD cards with capacities up to 32GB. 

The Droid 4 will ship with Android 2.3.5, but there's a promise it will get upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich later in 2012. Quite why this phone isn't leaving Moto Central with the latest version of the OS installed is beyond us, but we hope Motoblur isn't responsible.

We've always had a soft spot for the Droid - or Milestone, as it is known in the UK - and they're always good handsets that are surprisingly easy to fall in love with. Sadly, the Droid/Milestone 3 never made it to the UK, and with a lack of 4G currently, we worry this phone won't make it here either.

Hoping the Droid 4 comes to the UK? Let us know below.