Rash of leaks point to eminent HTC Incredible release

Verizon's next Android handset, the HTC Incredible, is becoming the carrier's worst-kept secret. Over the last few days a succession of leaks and hints have hit the gadget rumor mill, again leading us to believe that an announcement could be just days away.

Last Wednesday, a screenshot of Verizon's internal system on AndroidForums listed more than 150,000 HTC INC ADR6300 handsets as "on order." According to the image, the phones are in a Verizon Wireless warehouse, prepped for retail.

Two days later, the Incredible popped up in the carrier's Cellebrite system, which Verizon uses for transferring contacts, messages, and pictures between handsets. In the past Cellebrite has served as a good indicator of what's to come; the Motorola Devour appeared in the system just a week before its February 3 launch.

But wait, there's more. Last weekend a Verizon Twitter account made a couple of references to the Incredible. In response to a customer question asking how long he'd have to wait for the Incredible, Verizon responded that "good things are coming your way, we promise." Another message, which has since disappeared from Twitter, stated, "As for the HTC Incredible...good things come to those who wait!"

And finally today, another screenshot appeared online with activation information for the handset. With all of this buzz, you have to wonder why Verizon hasn't officially announced the phone. I imagine that it might have something to do with the success of the Droid and the start of another advertising push. With rumored specs of a 1GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera, and 1GB RAM, the Incredible would likely cannibalize the sales of Big Red's current best seller.