Peek at lost-and-found iPhone seals deal on Droid Incredible

Thanks to the carelessness of the person who is likely, by now, a former Apple employee, the world has apparently been given a 60-day advanced peek at the next version of the iPhone.

Photo Credit: Gizmodo

In case you missed it, a device that appears to be a next-generation iPhone was found at a bar in the San Francisco Bay Area and has landed in the hands of Gizmodo, which coughed up a lot of images and details about this found device.

Now that I've seen the coverage and seem to have a good idea of what's coming down the pipeline from Apple, I'm feeling pretty good about walking into a Verizon store next week and buying HTC's Droid Incredible, which has been getting some pretty good reviews.

During a news event to reveal details of the iPhone OS 4.0 earlier this month, I saw what was coming to the software side of the device. I wasn't overly impressed - but had been holding out to find out 1) how the hardware side might change and 2) whether the company would finally announce a deal with Verizon.

Assuming that the lost-then-found device is authentic - and all indications point in that direction - I don't think the Verizon issue really matters anymore. In recent months, I'd already started leaning away from the iPhone and more toward one of the many Google Android devices hitting the market. I still had some iPhone envy - but that's out of my system now.

None of this is to say that the new iPhone isn't an attractive smartphone with a lineup of new features. If you like your iPhone now, you'll surely love what the next generation has to offer.

But for me, it's just not enough to lure me away from what Google is offering with Android - a good user experience, a variety of hardware types to choose from and a choice in carriers.