Can't touch this

Now that my pulse has slowed a bit, there are a few lingering questions about this iPhone thing that's supposed to be the Next Big Revolution from Apple, Inc. We've already pointed out you won't just be able to slap VLC on the thing. Engadget has confirmed it's a first-party only platform. Hey, what about YouTube on there (hello Google)? Flash player? Sketchup? But I'm more interested in the hardware side.

For example, what's that stuff on the side? A card slot? An IR port? Yes and no. The iPhone has a standard dock connector on the bottom. There appears to be a charging port and volume control on the side, and a SIM card slot somewhere. Obviously there's a speaker, mic, and the 2MP camera... Plus those wireless guts and apparently one heckuva battery jammed inside.

The billion-dollar question, quite literally, is the screen. That lovely, lickable screen. Surely someone recalls the iPod nano scratch debacle, yes? Not that there aren't solutions to the problem. But how durable is this touchscreen? ABC News got to play with one for all of about 120 seconds -- hardly time enough to jab a shiv into the center. So what happens when some weirdo crams a shiny new iPhone in a pocket with the inevitable ring of house keys? With iPhones currently restricted to floating in acrylic cylinders, far away from our grimy fingers, we may not know the truth for some time to come...
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