HTC One (E8) now available at Sprint for $99.99

A couple of weeks ago a leaked video told us that the HTC One (E8) would be headed to Sprint in the US, and today the carrier has announced that the smartphone is available for order.

So you can already go ahead to Sprint's website and purchase the One (E8) in either Polar White or Misty Gray.

The price you'll need to pay for this handset varies based on what method you choose. If you want to go the traditional two-year contract route, it will set you back $99.99.

If you want to use Sprint's Easy Pay installment plan, you shell out nothing upfront, then followed by 23 monthly payments of $20.84 and a final 24th payment of $20.67.

The HTC One (E8) comes with a 5-inch 1080p Super LCD3 touchscreen, a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash, as well as a 5 MP front snapper for selfies.

It's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with a 2.3 GHz quad-core CPU, aided by 2GB of RAM. Internal storage is 16GB, expandable via microSD cards. LTE support is obviously in tow, and a 2,600 mAh battery keeps things juiced up. The One (E8) runs Android 4.4 KitKat.

Interestingly, the official press renders show that Sprint hasn't added its logo anywhere on the device.

Nokia Lumia 735 with LTE gets pictured in black and white

Next week Microsoft has a pre-IFA event scheduled in Berlin, during which it's widely been expected to unveil two new smartphones - the Lumia 830 and the Lumia 730. However, it turns out that a third device may join them - the Lumia 735.

This is basically going to be the LTE-capable version of the oft-leaked Lumia 730, which itself will apparently only come in a 3G dual-SIM iteration.

The Lumia 730 and Lumia 735 are allegedly pictured next to each other in the images you see above and below this paragraph. They seem to have starred in a photo shoot over in China.

That said, both handsets look like they have a 4G connection at the moment of the shots, so we may in fact be staring at two of the Lumia 735's color versions, the most conservative ones actually: white and black. Undoubtedly, we're bound to see many more daring hues for this model, like for its non-LTE capable sibling.

Previously rumored specs for the Lumia 730 talked about it coming with a 4.7-inch 720p touchscreen, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, and a 5 MP front-facing camera that will probably be the main selling point of the device. So yes, look for Microsoft to try and exploit the selfie craze as best it can.

The Lumia 730 has been said to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 chipset with a 1.2 GHz quad-core CPU. It should sport a polycarbonate unibody construction, and on-screen software buttons. Keeping things running will be a 2,000 mAh battery.

All of these specs are probably going to be found on the Lumia 735 as well, with the only difference between the phones being the types of connectivity they each support, and the price of course. The 3G model could cost around $240.

Lenovo IFA event invite teases an Android L-running Vibe X2

We already knew Lenovo had an IFA event planned for Sept. 4, but the event invite is rather interesting on its own.

The invite shows in a straightforward way that the Lenovo Vibe X2 will be the centerpiece of the event. The lolipop is also a certain clue that the new device will be running Android L.

The last tiny piece of interest on Lenovo's invite is a friendly jab to Apple for their recent invite, which claimed the company wished it could say more about their event, which will surely be all about the iPhone 6.

The Lenovo Vibe X2 has not made the headlines that often as the likes of the Note 4 or the iPhone in question, but a recent leak surely suggests it's a proper flagship-grade device. It will have a 2.2 GHz octa-core CPU, a 5-inch 1080p touchscreen, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of built-in storage, a 13 MP rear camera with LED flash, and a 5 MP front snapper for selfies.

Anyway, the IFA 2014 starts next week, and we're sure to be hit by a torrent of new devices. Stay tuned, we'll be on the ground in Berlin, covering it all live as it unfolds.

Galaxy Note 4 spotted on Samsung Mobile site

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is just days away from being officially announced at the IFA trade show in Berlin, and the leaks keep piling up. The latest is in the form of a UAProf found on Samsung's mobile site, which confirms a large number of the devices' specifications.

Besides the SM-N920T model number, there's confirmation of a QHD display at 1440 x 2560px resolution. Also possibly listed is the presence of a 64-bit processor.

These latest bits of information can be added to what else we've heard regarding the device, including the 5.7-inch display, S-Pen, and USB 3.0 port alongside the fingerprint sensor and heart rate monitor introduced with the Galaxy S5. The device will also be one of the first to run Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 805 variant, which is hinted at making an appearance on the SM-N910S model of the Note 4.

We'll be covering the Note 4 launch live from Berlin on September 3, so be sure to check back with us then for all the juicy details, as well as full IFA 2014 coverage all of next week.

Meanwhile, check out the latest glimpse of the Galaxy Note 4 poster for IFA.

BlackBerry Passport detailed review appears ahead of launch

BlackBerry plans to launch the Passport in September, but luckily for everyone who has been expecting it, a detailed review has surfaced before its debut. It comes courtesy our Czech colleagues fromMobilenet.cz and reveals just about everything about the smartphone.

Inside the BlackBerry Passport there's a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 chipset with a quad-core 2.2GHz Krait 400 CPU, Adreno 330 GPU and 3GB of RAM. There is also 32GB internal memory, which can be expanded further via the microSD card slot. The battery is quite large in capacity at 3,450mAh but because the phone didn't stick around for long, there was no time for a proper battery test.

The phone measures 128x90.3x9.3mm and weighs the massive 195 grams. At the back, there's a 13MP camera with LED flash and 1080p@60fps video recording capabilities. It has optical image stabilization, too. While there's NFC and LTE connectivity options, the Passport's Wi-Fi is limited to 802.11n only.

The 4.5" display of 1440x1440 pixel resolution boasts a pixel density of 453 ppi. It's also covered with a protective layer of Gorilla Glass 3. The review reveals that the phone feels really sturdy and is built to last. On the side, there's a steel frame, while the back is made of soft touch material to be less slippery.

One of the most interesting features of the Passport is its keypad which doubles as a large touchpad. There are few interesting gestures available. One of them is the ability to quickly delete words by swiping to the left. The keyboard itself is fantastic to write on, but one handed use is quite hard as the phone is just too wide.

Lastly, the review mentions the phone's availability in Europe, which will happen in October. The price of the Passport is quoted at $760 (CZK16,000). Follow the source link to check out more live photos of the BlackBerry Passport.

CPU-Z confirms 64-bit Tegra K1 SoC for Nexus 9

While we've been waiting for HTC and Google to announce an 8.9" Nexus tablet we've been treated to more than one leak about the coveted Nexus 9. The latest one is from hardware-assessing app CPU-Z, which confirms the SoC in charge of the tablet is the latest Nvidia Tegra K1 64-bit.

We've already suspected the tablet will carry a 64-bit Nvidia chip and with two leaks behind it, the rumors seem plausible to say the least.

The Tegra K1 inside the Nexus 9 will have a top clock speed of 2.5GHz which is higher than the 2.2GHz non-64-bit Tegra K1 we benchmarked and found to top our charts, especially in the graphics department.

Nvidia claims its Tegra K1 chip is 1.5 times more efficient than its competition which should translate into reasonable battery life despite the immense power within. The Tegra K1 has a 192-core GPU based on the desktop-grade Kepler architecture and Nvidia's Cuda cores.

As for the Nexus 9, it's rumored to have a 4:3 aspect 1440 x 2048 pixel 8.9" display of 281ppi, 8MP camera and the latest Android L from Google.

Archos unveils two Android phones, one WP handset

Archos put out one its traditional "here's what we'll announce" announcements. It details three phones, two tablets and additional gadgets that will be shown at IFA at the start of next month. Details for the first two Android phones are available in full, while the other devices are just outlined.

Archos 50b Platinum

The Archos 50b Platinum is a dual-SIM phone. It will have a 5" IPS screen with qHD resolution and run Android 4.4 KitKat. The phone is based on a MediaTek MT6582 chipset with 1.3GHz quad-core Cortex-A7, Mali-400MP2 GPU and just 512MB RAM.

   

Archos 50b Platinum

There will be an 8MP / 1080p main camera with LED flash and a 2MP front-facing camera. The 50b Platinum will come with an 8GB microSD card in addition to 4GB of built-in storage, a number of colorful cases and a 1,900mAh Li-Po battery.

The Archos 50b Platinum will launch in September and will cost £120 (€150 / $200).

Archos 45c Platinum

The Archos 45c Platinum will be smaller with a 4.5" IPS screen with FWVGA resolution (480 x 854 pixels). It's a dual-SIM phone as well and will be powered by the same MediaTek chipset.

   

Archos 45c Platinum

The main camera has been dropped to 5MP / 1080p, the front-facing camera remains at 2MP. The battery is a Li-Po unit with 1,700mAh capacity.

The Archos 45c Platinum will also launch in September for £100 (€125 / $165)

Archos 40 Cesium

Earlier this year Archos CEO Loic Poirier said the company was considering making a Windows Phone handset and here's the result – the Archos 40 Cesium. It will have a 4" screen and run Windows Phone 8.1 on a Snapdragon 200 chipset with a quad-core processor (it's not clear if it will have Cortex-A7 or A5 cores).

The 40 Cesium will launch in September at £80 (€100 / $130 and will come in Yellow, Blue and Black.

Archos 101 Oxygen

The Archos 101 Oxygen is an affordable Android tablet. £200 (€250 / $330) buys you a 10.1" 1080p screen and a quad-core Cortex-A17 processor with 1.5GB RAM. It will come with 16GB of built-in storage.

<3h>Archos 80 Cesium Tablet

The Archos 80 Cesium is will come in October at £130 (€165 / $215). It's an 8" tablet with 1,280 x 800 resolution and will run Windows 8.1 (not phone) on a quad-core Intel processor (presumably Atom).

Connected Objects

Archos has gotten into the home automation and has additional gadgets to make your place cooler. The Archos Weather Station will come in September at £100 (€125 / $165) and will connect to your iOS or Android device.

It will track temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, air quality and noise pollution and looks quite cool.

There's also the Archos Music Light – a £50 (€65 / $85) lamp that can play music from a Bluetooth-connected iOS, Android or Windows device.

For music on the go, the Archos Music Beany is a plush beany with built-in headphones and a microphone, which again connects to your smartphone over Bluetooth. It will set you back £30 (€40 / $50).