Sprint today announced pricing and pre-order availability date for LG Viper 4G LTE, the first 4G LTE device with eco-friendly features to be offered by Sprint. LG Viper is based on old Android 2.3 Gingerbread and features 4-inch touchscreen, 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM, 5-megapixel camera, NFC, mobile hotspot capabilities and a 4GB card microSD slot that supports up to 32GB.

“LG Viper pairs perfectly with our unlimited data plans to bring customers the benefit of new technology, including our upcoming 4G LTE capabilities at a great price,” said David Owens, vice president-Product Development, Sprint. “This smartphone is packed with the tools our customers need to stay connected. Best of all, customers can feel good about owning LG Viper because of its robust list of eco-friendly features.”

LG Viper will be available later this month in all Sprint sales channels, including Sprint stores, online, Best Buy and RadioShack for $99.99 with a new two-year service agreement and after $50 mail-in rebate. New and existing customers can pre-order LG Viper beginning Thursday, April 12 on Sprint’s website.

Even though LG Viper is 4G LTE handset, Sprint customers buying the handset won’t be getting any 4G LTE service till mid of this year. Sprint has already announced that they will start rolling out 4G LTE service in mid-year 2012 and the first cities to get the new service will be Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City and San Antonio.

Nokia’s new top of the line smartphone Lumia 900 was announced in January 2012 and will start shipping on April 8th. The handset features 4.3-inch OLED screen (800 x 480), 8-megapixel camera, 16GB onboard memory, 1.4GHz single core CPU, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS and LTE support. The Lumia 900 is available on AT&T starting April 8th 2012 for $99 with two-year contract.

Reviews of the new Lumia 900 have been positive with reviewers appreciating the hardware and design, but criticized the camera for washed out pictures and Windows Phone OS because it still lags behind iOS and Android. The Wall Street Journal’s Walt Mossberg concluded his review by saying “If you're looking for a $100, high-end smartphone, or are a Windows Phone fan who has been waiting for better hardware, the Lumia 900 is worth considering. But the phone had just too many drawbacks in my tests to best its chief competitors.”

Overall, Lumia 900 is Nokia’s and Windows Phone’s top of the line smartphone, but its nowhere near iPhone 4S or best Android smartphones. However, at just $100 (and we believe if you await few weeks it will be $0) it’s a good affordable option in crowded smartphone land. Below we have added 12 best Nokia Lumia 900 reviews posted online:

• The Wall Street Journal – Review By: Walt Mossberg
• The Verge – Review By: Joshua Topolsky
• PC Mag – Review By: Sascha Segan
• Ars Technica – Review By: Casey Johnston
• SlashGear – Review By: Michael Crider
• Engadget – Review By: Joseph Volpe
• Gizmodo – Review By: Sam Biddle
• BGR – Review By: Zach Epstein
• AnandTech – Review By: Brain Klug
• PC World – Review By: Ginny Mies
• CNET – Review By: Jessica Dolcourt
• abc News – Review By: Joanna Stern

Even though specifications-wise Sony’s PlayStation 3 is better than Xbox 360 with Blu-ray drive and Cell processor, but it hasn’t been able to capture the same market share as the Xbox. Some analysts blame this on late arrival of PS 3 on the market with Xbox 360 already selling like hot cakes for over a year. However, Sony doesn’t want to make the same mistake twice and plans to launch PlayStation 4 before Microsoft launches next generation Xbox.

VG247 reported today that Sony is “confident” that it will have the console ready ahead of the next generation Xbox launch by Christmas 2013. Patrick Garratt posted on VG247:

“Sony are completely in the belief that they have the jump on Microsoft this time,” they said. “You should be watching the timing of next year’s E3 keynotes, and who’s going to go first.”

A second source said this morning that all next-generation systems will be in place “by 2014″.

Sony has apparently already put its favoured partners in the frame as to PlayStation 4.

“Top line publishers already know about it,” our source said. “Developers working with publishers – like Ubisoft, for example – already know what’s going on. They’re already working on it.”

While “most developers” will be fully briefed “by the end of this year,” some have been invited to events in May and June in the US.

Another source has told us more information is going to be issued about PS4 to developers under NDA in May.

It will be interesting to see which company brings out the next generation gaming console first because first place in market release definitely has advantages when it comes to console war. Also, interest in Nintendo’s next generation console is almost zero so the console war will now be between Microsoft and Sony.

For past few weeks, Apple rumor mill has been spinning at full speed with MacBook Pro rumors. The latest rumor is that Apple will start manufacturing the new 15-inch MacBook Pro this month with about 200,000 units ready for launch by end of April. Most of the MacBook Pro rumors have been about the new MacBook Air inspired thinner design with very little information about other features. We have been hearing many details about the new MacBook Pro design and specifications from our reliable sources. And here are some of those rumors/details:

Thinner and Lighter: Everyone has been talking about slimmer profile of the new MacBook Pro, but our sources say that users will be pleasantly surprised with how light the new MacBook will be. The 15-inch model will be lighter than 5 pounds (one source even says that it will be around 4 pounds) and less than 0.8-inch at its thickest.

Quad Core Processor: Some rumors have suggested that the new 15-inch Pro will use lower voltage dual core processor because it will have thinner profile, but they are wrong. Apple will use the latest quad core Ivy Bridge processors from Intel. They will use the new 2.6GHz Core i7-3720QM and 2.7GHz Core i7-3820QM processors that have 45 watt TDP.

Dedicated NVIDIA Graphics: The 15-inch MacBook Pro will use the new GeForce 6xxM series graphics chips, which are made using 28nm process technology. The new chips are more power efficient and will help Apple to go for the thinner profile.

Higher Resolution Display: We have been hearing that Apple will double the resolution on the new MacBook Pro like they did with the iPad, but our sources weren’t able to confirm that. However, they did say that Apple is definitely going for more than full HD (1080p) with a 1920 x 1200 screen on 15-inch model.

Yes, the new MacBook Pro won’t be as thin as or lighter than recently announced Samsung Series 9 15-inch laptop, but it will be a full-fledged Pro laptop with quad-core processor and dedicated graphics chip and not an ultrabook with low voltage processor like the Series 9.

Apple will be able to fit the higher TDP quad core processor and dedicated graphics chip in such a thin profile by removing the optical drive, creating more space for better cooling. And because of the quad core Ivy Bridge processor and Geforce 6xxM series graphics chip the new 15-inch MacBook Pro would be the most powerful Mac laptop ever with at least 30% jump in CPU related performance and over 50% jump in GPU related performance.

A Foxconn recruiter in Taiyuan, China told TV Tokyo that the company is hiring new workers for production of fifth generation iPhone (video here). The talk between a woman from TV Tokyo and the recruiter went as follows:

"We're looking for 18,000 employees…for the fifth-generation phone," he said.

"Is that because demand is high for the iPhone 5?" she asked.

"That's right. It will come out in June."

A labor recruiter at Foxconn is a very low level position, hence it’s very unlikely that he was told about iPhone 5 production plans. However, recruiters do know for what product, like iPhone or other smartphone, they are hiring people (they might not know model 4S or 5). So it’s likely that the recruiter added his two cents, as Foxconn is hiring 18,000 new workers for a single device and that kind of hiring only happens for a new iPhone like product launch.

Also, if they started hiring by end of March that would mean Foxconn and Apple want to start production very soon. A new hire starts working within 1-3 weeks on their assigned product, so production of whatever Foxconn wants to shipping in large volume will start by mid or end of April, indicating a launch within 3 months. For example, Foxconn started production of the new iPad in early January and it was launched on 7th March.

We don’t know for sure that the product, which Foxconn is aiming to ship in June is next generation iPhone, but only iPhone and iPad are the products that would require such large workforce to built millions before launch. And Apple just launched the new iPad.

In other Apple related rumor, DigiTimes is claiming that Apple will launch a redesigned iMac with slimmer profile and anti-reflective display. The website cited industry sources that claimed “G-Tech (a company supplying cover glass for Apple computers) is also expected to supply AR (anti-reflective) glass solutions for Apple's all-in-one (AIO) PCs with the new products to also serve as a growth driver for G-Tech.”

We have been hearing that Apple has been looking at anti-reflective displays for quite sometime, as reflection is one of the biggest complain the company receives for their products. Apple wants to retain the colors and black levels glossy screens deliver, while brining the anti-reflective properties of matte display without decrease in contrast and color intensity.

We seriously hope that not only iMac but the new MacBook Pros and other upcoming Apple devices also get the anti-reflective display.

The second phone in the new HTC One Series is the One S featuring 4.3-inch AMOLED (960 x 540) screen, dual core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, 8 megapixel camera, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and microSD card slot. The sleek phone is just 0.31-inch thick and weighs 4.16 ounces. HTC One S is now available in US (on T-Mobile) and Europe.

Like the One X, reviews of the One S are largely positive with reviewers liking the sleek design and speedy performance of the new handset, but criticizing the HTC’s Sense 4 UI and Pentile AMOLED screen. Vlad Savov wrote in his review “When it comes to first impressions, the HTC One S is an instant winner. It marries thinness with a subtle, exquisitely refined design, and its AMOLED display is exactly the sort of vibrant eye-catcher that attracts people in stores. It almost sounds like the perfect premise for a device that's all style and no substance, but that's not the case with the One S. Sure, on closer inspection that Pentile display can drive you to distraction, but I'm learning to forgive that downside for the rich upside on offer from the dual-core Snapdragon S4, ImageSense camera suite, and Ice Cream Sandwich OS.”

Overall, if you are looking for the best Android phone right now you should go with One X. However, One S is also not a bad choice if you don’t mind the Pentile AMOLED screen, which isn’t as good as 720p LCD screen on One X. Below we have added links to six best HTC One S reviews posted online:

• The Verge – Review By: Vlad Savov
• Engadget – Review By: Mat Smith
• Android Community – Review By: Chris Burns
• Tech Radar – Review By: Kate Solomon
• Mobileburn – Review By: Michael Oryl
• SlashGear – Review By: Chris Davies

ChangeWave surveyed 200 new iPad owners to find out overall satisfaction, key likes and dislikes, and impact of none existent heat issue. As you can see in the graph above new iPad users had higher satisfaction rating than previous iPad model with 82% owners saying that they were very satisfied with the new iPad compared with 74% with previous model, which was industry leader in tablet satisfaction for past 12 months till February 2012. Overall, 98% of new iPad owners were satisfied (very satisfied + somewhat satisfied) with their new tablet.

When asked about what users liked about the new iPad, overwhelming response was that 75% users liked the new high resolution Retina display followed by 22% for long battery life and 21% for 4G LTE capability. Users cited the Cost of the Device (26%) and the Cost of the Wireless Data Plan (23%) as their two biggest gripes, when asked about their dislikes.

When it came to much over hyped heat issue, over 89% said they haven’t experienced any problem and not a single user said it was a big problem. You can check out the complete survey report on ChangeWave’s website where they talk in detail about all the likes and dislikes.

HTC introduced their new One series with renewed focus on design, and the flagship handset representing the new series is One X featuring 4.7-inch 720p screen, 1.5GHz quad core Tegra 3 processor (1.5GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 on AT&T), 8-megpaixel camera with f2.0 lens, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, UMTS / HSPA, LTE (US only) and microSD card slot. The One X is now available in US (on AT&T) and Europe.

Reviews of the new handset have been very positive with many reviewers calling it the best Android handset hardware-wise, but the reviewers are also criticizing the Sense UI for lack of uniformity. Chris Ziegler wrote on Verge “So yes, I think Sense can do better, but there’s still a lot to be optimistic about. Looking back on Sense 3.0 and 3.5, Sense 4.0 is a big step in the right direction. And even without any modification whatsoever, the One X isn’t just one of the best Android phones I’ve ever used — it’s one of the best mobile devices I’ve ever used, period. Seriously, HTC has done something pretty special with the One line, and I’m encouraged that Peter Chou and company appear to be back on the right track.”

Overall, if you are looking to by an Android handset you can’t go wrong with HTC One X, right now it’s the best Android handset out there. Below we have added links to 10 best HTC One X reviews posted online:

• The Verge – Review By: Chris Ziegler
• SlashGear – Review By: Chris Davies
• Android Community – Review By: Vincent Nguyen
• Engadget – Review By: Myriam Joire
• CNET – Review By: Natasha Lomas
• Android Central – Review By: Phil Nickinson
• Pocket-lint – Review By: Chris Hall
• Phone Arena – Review By: Ray S
• Into Mobile – Review By: Marin Perez
• Tech Radar – Review By: Gareth Beavis

Epson today announced Moverio BT-100, the world’s first Android-based see-through wearable display. Using micro-projection technology and an Android-powered track-pad controller, Moverio allows users to view streaming video, experience side-by-side 3D content and enjoy downloaded digital content on a virtual 80-inch perceived screen projected into the user’s real environment. Featuring built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and nearly six hours of rechargeable battery life, Moverio offers an innovative, portable way to interact with content from virtually any location. Users can also easily access downloaded content via the microSDHC card slot (4GB card included) and built-in 1GB internal user storage, even without wireless network access.

Epson is also offering a range of programs for developers to create new Android-based applications and side-by-side 3D content for this innovative see-through display technology. You can get more information about the developer programs on Epson’s website.

The Epson Moverio BT-100 priced $699.99 is now available through Epson’s own retail site, select resellers and by pre-order on Amazon.com. Check out Moverio BT-100’s introductory video below.

Microsoft Courier was codename for a booklet type tablet concept that was cancelled in 2010. The concept had booklet form factor with dual touchscreen that could be used for taking note, posting pics and pinning up digital cut outs just like you would do in your journal. Check out the video below to see how the Courier concept worked. The concept got lot of attention because of its unique design but Microsoft cancelled it. If you liked the Courier concept like many others did, then you would be happy to know that the idea didn’t die completely and inspired few fellows to create an app called Taposé for the iPad.

In theory, Taposé is like the Microsoft Courier concept and combines word processor, writing, drawing, media, web clips, business cards, maps, sticky notes and much more into your own personal journal. To get an idea about how Taposé works check out the introductory video below. It is one of the most innovative Apps available for iPad today.

Taposé is available on App Store for $2.99. You can get more information about the new app on Taposé website.