We questioned if the site was official and reached out to Verizon to see if they would comment.

“We don’t discuss phones that we don’t currently sale.”Verizon Wireless

Verizon’s response was inconclusive so our readers kept digging into the website. They found it was registered by the same person who did htchero.com which is obviously not an official site. Another reader performed a reverse lookup on the server IP and finally found the person behind it.

The htcpassion.com website is owned by a guy named Rob Jackson who also owns 193 “other” websites including one called “htczone”.  I found this on the whois tracking website. Here is the info.

Enter an IP address or domain name into the form below and click “Look Up” to get a list of domains hosted on the same IP address.

IP/Domain Name:   There are 9 domains hosted on this IP address. Here are a few of them:

1. Buildandearn.com
2. Cheapsmartbooks.com
3. Htcozone.com

Whois Record
Registrant Search:
“Rob Jackson” owns about 193 other domainsBigMikeAAM reader

For those who do not already know, Mr. Rob Jackson is a friend of ours and the owner of Phandroid. I asked him to come clean on the Passion site and he responded with a simple “No comment :)”.

So while it appears the teaser site was a phony, the phone is real. New evidence shows that Google has chosen the Passion design and branded it as the Nexus One (which cleared the FCC with T-Mobile 3G bands).

There is a chance we still might see the HTC Passion for Verizon. We have seen multiple Passion names (Passion and PassionC) in the leaked HTC code that included 20 plus product names. Some sites have speculated that the PassionC could stand for the CDMA version of the phone, which would run on Verizon’s network.

Fake.

I’m not entirely sure this is official, but it is definitely interesting.

A whois of the domain reveals:

• Contact: 8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #110 – 732
  Westchester, CA 90045
• Name servers: ns1.made2own.com
  ns2.made2own.com
• Creation date: 16 Sep 2009 22:25:01

What do you guys think? I’ve been waiting for a new HTC Android 2.0 phone to arrive. I might just have to open a 2nd line with Verizon.

Update (11/29): Official response from Verizon Wireless – “We don’t discuss phones that we don’t currently sale.”

Real or fake?

The Unlockr posted some pictures of a mysterious Android phone which they are now claiming is the HTC Passion (aka Dragon, Zoom 2) and they claim it’s headed for Verizon. They even go as far to say the phone could launch in Q4. I would be surprised if this phone ships before Christmas, but I hope I’m wrong.

Highlights of the rumored HTC Passion include:

• HTC Sense UI
• Android 2.0
• 1 GHz Snapdragon platform
• 512 MB ROM / 256 MB RAM
• 4.3″ WVGA 480 x 800 capacitive display
• 5 megapixel camera
• 3.5 mm headphone jack
• FM radio

If these rumors turn out to be true, the Motorola Droid could face some stiff competition this holiday season.

Could this device be the first 1 GHz Android phone?

Details are limited on the HTC Desire.

Digitimes is claiming that HTC will follow up the Desire with the Passion. The HTC Passion is also expected to launch in Q4, but could come after the holidays. Reports say the Passion will be a next-generation Google phone so we assume it will ship with Android 2.0. HTC is working on a Windows-powered 1 GHz Snapdragon phone called the Leo, so maybe they will deliver the first 1 GHz Android phone in the U.S.

[via Digitimes, PhoneArena, FCC, WiFi Alliance]