Sprint's eco-friendly LG Viper smartphone is LTE-equipped, $99

There's a fair bit of cognitive dissonance involved in announcing an LTE phone for a hitherto-nonexistent LTE network. But that's exactly what Sprint is doing with the LG Viper.

Announced back at CES, the Viper is pretty simple device. Featuring a 1.2 GHz dual-core, 1 GB RAM, and a 4-inch touchscreen, the its biggest pull is clearly its ability to connect to Sprint's LTE network, which will be up and running by the middle of the year.

Sprint is also extensively pushing the Viper as an "eco-friendly" phone. With semi-recycled casing and almost entirely recycled packaging, the Viper is well at home with similarly green phones like the Samsung Replenish, which Sprint announced last May.

Running for $99 with a two-year contract and after a $50 rebate, the Viper will be available for pre-order on April 12. Sprint, however, isn't saying just yet when the phone will actually be on sale, though you can expect it later this month.