Verizon leak causes iPhone kerfuffle

When a leaked photo surfaced showing an internal Verizon document announcing a November 9 release date date for an “Iconic Device,” the scoop-hungry blogosphere did what any reasonable media whirlwind would do: assumed it was the iPhone. But nope. Sorry. It’s not.

The image, posted on TUAW.com, shows a proprietary Verizon website that reads, in part, beginning “November 9, 2010, customers can purchase an Iconic Device and select accessories,” also noting the device “is projected to be in high demand once officially announced.”

Okay, clearly, right now the only Verizon phone that’s reasonably “iconic” and will be “in high demand once officially announced” is the iPhone. In addition to TUAW, other sites like The Mac Observer began reporting on the speculative launch. It would have been a coup, since most people are expecting a January 2011 announcement for the Verizon iPhone.

So, the debunking came from AndroidCentral.com. That site also had leaks about a November 9 launch, but its leaks had more details. The “Iconic Device” will actually be the Droid Pro.

The Droid Pro looks and feels like a Droid 2, but it has a dual GSM/CDMA chip so users can make calls to and from other countries outside of North America.

Android Central’s screens also showed the device will not actually be released on November 9, but rather that’s the day when it will be available for pre-order. The phone will actually go on sale on November 18.

And just as a reminder, the iPhone still hasn’t been confirmed on Verizon. Leaks about that will be much more difficult to come by.