Assuming the story is indeed true, what would be really cool is if Verizon subsidized the cost of the eDGe with a two year contract (like they do for netbooks).

For example, if the eDGe cost something like $200 plus a $40/month for 3G 250mb (the lowest monthly mobile broadband that they offer), then it might make the product more appealing to some people. Although for me (since I'm rarely outside a Wifi network when I'm not traveling), paying full price for the eDGe and then doing pay-as-you-go mobile broadband probably make more sense even if something like that Verizon deal was available.