Earlier today Verizon Wireless and Google announced the forming of a new handset alliance. The announcement was made with great fanfare and a flurry of press shots of executives of the two companies being friendly. One shot in particular caught the perceptive eye of the Boy Genius crew. This photo of Eric Schmidt (on your left) shows the Google CEO holding an unknown Verizon branded device.

It's not clear what the new smartphone is, but from the distant shot we have of it the Android UI is barely intelligible. From the overall shape of the phone, it looks a lot like an HTC manufactured device. Could this be an early version of the smartphone Google and Verizon are working together to create?

The fellow on the right is also holding an Android smartphone. It appears to be the Motorola Droid, but the angle we're seeing it at prevents any 100% positive ID. If that phone IS the Droid, then the mystery phone could be the other Android smartphone Verizon promised us before the end of 2009.