Keep in mind this is all coming from an industry analyst report supplied to Apple Insider, and as with all analyst reports, take it with a huge chunk of rock salt.

Rumour has it that the new iPhone will have a hybrid UMTS/CDMA radio inside, so it’ll work on nearly all major carriers. The report also cites that the device will have a 2.8-inch screen, downsized from the current 3.5-inch display.

That’s nothing we haven’t heard before, but the one thing that might make this report more believable than others is the titbit about who’ll make the thing. According to the document, Pegatron will build the phone and not Hon Hai, the current manufacturer.

Baseless speculation, or looming product launch? Whatever the case, I’m much less excited about these rumours now that Android handsets are available on Verizon. As great as an iPhone would be on Big Red, there are very solid alternatives that you can pick up today, so why wait? [Apple Insider]

Why would you like to have an iPod-like click wheel when you have a touchscreen beats me. [MacNN]

Loaded with EDGE (no 3G), 16GB of flash memory, a 5MP camera (whoa T3, slow down there cowboys!), A2DP and a brushed aluminium case, I’ll admit, while I feel there’s a bit too much case for the amount of screen, I know more than one person who would buy this iPhone right now, no questions asked. But what do you think?

Head over to T3 for all the shots and a glimpse at some other tantalising yet half-grounded product renderings. [T3 Thanks Harry!]

Sure it’s not perfect and it lacks the finesse of Apple’s designs—and I shiver thinking about the software this thing packs—but look at it. There are MacBooks in there. And iPod nanos and even part of the old iPod shuffle in that internal ring—not the one Heather tried to swallow.

HiPhone Nano N3+
2.8″ TouchScreen Tri-band Flip Phone w/ Dual Standby, Shake Control, Camera – HiPhone Nano N3+

• Clamshell iPod Nano design
• 2.8-inch (3.0-inch) touchscreen QVGA + stylus
• Triband GSM, GPRS
• Dual SIM with dual stand-by
• TouchWiz control
• Shake control
• Magical Voice
• Bluetooth
• Video and music support
• FM tuner
• 1.3 megapixel camera
• TF card slot (1GB TF comes with the phone)
• 2800mAh battery

This clone of hardware from an alternative Earth can be yours for $US190. [China Grabber via PMP Today]

From the same people who brought you the Chinese iPhone-wannabe, the HiPhone, the HiPhone Nano is currently being sold in China for $US125, which is an immediate discount from its $US400 price tag. However, calling it a clone would be a misnomer as it doesn’t use the same user interface as the OS. With a 2.4-inch screen, the Tri-band HiPhone Nano supports dual-SIM cards, has a camera and bluetooth, and is apparently also a flip phone. Really, a flip phone? Apple fangirl does not approve. [Product Page via Wired]

Expected in June, the models are said to line up as follows: a 2.75G (which Slashgear interprets as EDGE) version, an upgraded 3G version and a China-oriented model, possibly to support a Chinese CDMA carrier. The mention of EDGE would seem to indicate that one of these models will be a budget version, but not necessarily a smaller one—the report makes sure to say that there won’t be an iPhone Nano. It goes on to say that component suppliers are reporting a first run of four million for the combined handsets, which is a lot, but not out of the question.

The obvious surprise here, though, is that EDGE phone. To revert to a waning network standard a full year after consciously switching from it doesn’t seem very Apple. That said, a fully subsidised iPhone paired with a cheaper data plan could tap an entirely new market for the company, drawing millions more users to the lucrative App Store/iTunes fold. Strange, yeah, but this shouldn’t be ruled out—the Commercial Times has a solid record on Apple hardware rumours. [Commercial Times via Slashphone]

According to the paper, which according to AppleInsider is a “fairly reliable publication,” the bidding for some parts of a new low-cost entry-level mobile phone from Apple–dubbed the iPhone nano–is near its end. The Economic Daily News says that launch should happen not earlier than June.

Knowing that Apple is not showing plastics designs around, has anyone thought that these smaller chips will just be for a smaller iPhone, no nanoness involved? [AppleInsider]

Their “iPhone nano cases” page has a form which says “sign up for the upcoming release of our iPhone nano cases” but I’m just not buying it, sorry.

I know that XSKN claims to have one coming and I know they leaked the iPhone 3G case before, but I can’t believe Apple will happily give a completely new product away like this.

An update to an old one–like the iPhone 3G–yes. But a completely new one? It never happened, and it has the same chances of happening as a remake of the Star Wars prequels by Woody Allen. Or the iPhone Pro, for that matter.

In any case, this form is the last drop that has overflowed that small glass of whiskey that I call patience. Time for the iron bar. [Vaja--thanks tipsters, but please stop unless you have an actual picture of an iPhone nano]

Yesterday, a reader jumped on the tips line saying:

OMG! I FOUND THE NEW IPHONE NANO! CHECK IT OUT MAN! THIS IS THE REAL THING! I BOUGHT THE ORIGINAL IPHONE 3G FROM THEM! AND THAT WAS REAL! THIS HAS TO BE REAL! CAN’T YOU SEE IT?!?!?! OMG! ASDADGAFAAEFGASDGADFASDHHHHH!!!

I tried to put some sense into him: “Dude, do you think a chinese supplier would have an Apple phone before Apple themselves?” But he wouldn’t have it: “COME ON! I KNOW IT’S REAL! IT HAS TO BE REAL! I BOUGHT THREE OF THEM FOR MY FRIENDS FROM MY HIGH SCHOOL IN TEXAS!!!” After a while, I was polite and said good night. It was Christmas Day after all.

It’s not anymore. [China suppliers--Thanks JC--not Jason Chen--and good luck with those amazing iPhone nano 3G with optional Java games and 64 polymorphic tones!]

Oh, here’s another image someone sent us for a iPhone Nano, this one is an ad. What do you think of it?

There’s not a whole lot to get from these photos other than the fact that the iPhone Nano looks shorter and fatter than the 3G (kinda like the previous generation fat iPod nano), but it still has all the proper holes. Of course, all this is assuming that XSKN has correct information. It did, earlier in the year, with the iPhone 3G, so they have some kind of track record on their side.

And just as a curiosity, here’s a render of what someone thinks the iPhone Nano may look like.

[XSKN - Thanks Kentzler!]