Wireless standards and what they mean

WIth the up coming phones on the Verizon, at&t, T-mobile are saying that they are 4G, but what does it really even mean. This is a time line going from the 1980's with the brick 1G phones that could very little to the new state-of-the-art phones that promise dual core cpu's high-res screens and basically replace your laptop. Cheers

Source: Engadget 2G, 3G, 4G, and everything in between: an Engadget wireless primer -- Engadget