Okay, maybe this phone thing is real after all.

Various Mac news outlets are reporting that the Wall Street Journal anticipates that an Apple cell phone release is imminent, and that the phone would work with Cingular’s network.

You read that correctly: the Wall Street Journal. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill rumor outlet, folks (Captain Obvious strikes again!).

The fact that the Wall Street Journal is making this claim significantly improves the credibility of prior Apple phone claims, considering that it is one of the United States’ most trusted newspapers and accurately predicted Apple’s switch to Intel. We all know how that one turned out.

The keynote is less than ten hours away as of this writing. Come on, you can hold out a little longer!