Does Rob Jackson own www.htcpassion.com

I love phones. TWO years ago the FIRST website I really ever created was a site about the LG Voyager for Verizon at VerizonVoyager.org. The site quickly became very popular (even featured on Forbes.com) but before we knew it... the phone became obsolete and the site was virtually dead.

Pretty soon I realized that making a site that was more BROAD and sweeping was a better idea... like Phandroid and AndroidForums... so that the scope of the website could change with the times. It's worked great for the most part.

But If you're an everyday consumer looking for information about a phone you've heard about, chances are that Phandroid/AF are over your head. If you don't already know much about Android you could easily become lost - especially if you're not all that computer savvy. For that reason, we've bought some domains to create "fan pages" when we think big/popular Android related phones are slated to launch - HTCpassion.com being one of them.

When the HTC Passion was first leaked I wrote the following story:
HTC Passion: 3rd Verizon Android In 2009? | Android Phone Fans

As you can easily see, NOWHERE in that article do I EVER mention HTCpassion.com. Instead we put up a quick "placeholder" on that domain with the hope of updating it when concrete information came out. Rumored as Verizon's first Android Phone we were pretty sure a huge influx of everyday consumers would be looking for more information and we were eager to help them learn what was what.

But concrete information never arrived. Phone names, form factors, specs, carriers... they all just blurred. So we left the site alone, waiting in the wings to be updated when/if appropriate.

We NEVER linked to the domain.
We NEVER told anyone about the domain.
We NEVER used it to fuel a rumor.
We NEVER made mention of it to anyone.

And then at the end of November, Taylor Wimberly of AndroidAndMe made a post about HTCpassion.com suggesting it was proof that Verizon would get the phone:
HTC Passion coming to VZW this Christmas? – Android and Me

I never knew ANYTHING about this article. Until Taylor asked me a few days ago if I owned the domain and I told him I did. He mentioned the article he wrote but I never bothered to look it up - HTCpassion.com seems pretty obviously unofficial if you ask me.

In any case, I was inundated with Emails today of people TOTALLY flipping out on me. Saying they're boycotting Phandroid, calling me all sorts of names, pretty much slandering me and threatening me because of the following article:
No HTC Passion for Verizon this Christmas – Android and Me

If you had something negative/nasty to say I think you're absolutely 100% missing the point/intentions and perhaps you should have inquired before going overboard. The purpose of having that site - like any other site I own/operate - is to help inform the public and gather enthusiasts at a destination where they can learn and share. This is exactly what I was hoping to do with HTCpassion.com if the phone was ever released.

Unfortunately as the rumor pool got muddier and muddier the opportunity never arose. On top of that, we've become so overwhelmed with Phan/AF that we don't have time for anything else anyways!

But be my guest - peek around and see if AF/Phan has in any way tried to promote or benefit from that site? We haven't. There was never a Phandroid article using that information to create a news story and benefit from self-created traffic or invented rumors. It just flat out didn't happen.

Sure, we would have linked back to Phan/AF in hopes people might become part of our larger family, but accusations that we somehow intended to deceive or acted maliciously are categorically false. If anyone was accidentally misled I sincerely apologize - it was never the intention and we should have labeled it as a "fan site" as we normally do.

While I forgot the site existed it seems there was a team of hounds trying to dig up whatever dirt they could on the domain. In the end it led to me, which I'm happy to admit since it wasn't something I was ever trying to hide in the first place. But the fact that they had to "dig" in the first place immediately fueled assumptions that I had planned and plotted some hoax with which I would benefit from Dr. Evil style.

Believe what you want to, say what you want to, hurl insults, etc... be my guest. But if you REALLY did the proper research you:

(1) Would have realized the site was unofficial a couple minutes after doing some simple fact checking. How this ever became an article on a news source I'm not sure. I just got a news tip about HTCbravo.com but guess what? You won't find an article about that on Phandroid. It took all of 11 seconds to see it is not official - this stuff should be more forum fodder than anything else.

(2) Would have realized Phan/AF had no part/role in suggesting this site was real or, in reality, even mentioning it existed. If you were told this site could be the missing "official link" than you were led astray... and at no effort of our own. We made that landing page when the Passion WAS thought to be headed to Verizon the first day it leaked and simply forgot it existed.

(3) Long time readers know that I try to look out for the best interests of of our community. For the past 2 years I've worked my tail off to bring you news, opinion, reviews and all other kinds of info. Those of you that may feel like you "know" me also understand that while I can be opinionated, I also fess up when I mess up. I didn't "mess up" here... trust me my intentions were pure.

Again, if you got the wrong idea from all this I apologize that the unforeseeable chain of events sucked you in. Sure, I could have taken precautions to ensure this wouldn't happen and I will in the future... but at the time it never crossed my mind. Hindsight is 20/20.

I'm happy to answer any other questions you may have!