MacScoop reports a person who claims to have spent an extended period of time with the iPhone has debunked one of the most-often stated concerns regarding the device, its battery life.

You see, while Apple says the iPhone should get up to 5 hours when talking, watching video or browsing the Web and up to 16 hours of audio playback, some have reported that power actually lasts for a much shorter period of time—only about 40 minutes when accessing the Internet through a wireless connection.

According to the tipster, this is incorrect. He said the iPhone's battery life is actually much better than expected, likely equaling or exceeding Apple's own estimates.

While that's good news, he did come away with one concern about the iPhone: the material used for the outer casing is actually quite slippery, even more so than the iPod. Not good news for a $499 or $599 investment.

If true, this would necessitate buying a case or protective skin to prevent you from easily having the iPhone slip out of your hands and onto the floor. (Anyone who owns an iPod knows how easily they can get scratched up without protection.)

Wouldn’t an external case negate some of the iPhone's appeal, however.?

After all, it isn't just the functionality of the device that is drawing so many people's attention. The iPhone's overall look and design are very important factors as well.

Brian Lam at Gizmodo, who says he's spent some time with the iPhone, asserts the smartphone is no more slippery than an iPod.

While blogger Philip Elmer-DeWitt says he actually saw an Apple exec drop an early version of the iPhone onto a floor with now discernable effect. Sure, the floor was carpeted (not the same as concrete), but the iPhone did bounce a few times.

In other iPhone news, AppleInsider reports AT&T stores have experienced a dip in sales for its high-end smartphones of late because many folks are waiting until June to buy or check out an iPhone. And Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer told Reuters the other day the iPhone is still on track for a late June release.

According to rumors, when the iPhone hits Europe later this year or early next there will be two versions to choose from—one, like the model due in the U.S., without 3G and another with high-speed cellular-broadband technology integrated. The idea on Apple's part is that 3G is more important to Europeans than Americans, as the technology is more widespread on that continent.

This reasoning doesn't make much sense to me, as AT&T is the only GSM carrier in the U.S. to offer UMTS/HSPDA 3G services throughout the country. 3G may not be important to Apple at first, but wouldn't AT&T want to take advantage of this network?

And in today's market (Europe, the U.S. or otherwise) shouldn't be a standard feature in any smartphone that costs as much as the iPhone.

Apple has done a great job of promoting and publicizing (with very little effort on its part) the iPhone since Steve Jobs introduced it in January. So much so 47 percent of people in the country are aware of its existance and 17 percent are interested in purchasing one, according to a survey by Harris Interactive.

9 percent of those surveyed who reported being aware of the iPhone said they are mulling over buying one as soon as it becomes available, another 8 percent would consider doing so ahead of the expiration of their wireless agreements, while another 17 percent said they'll wait until their current contracts actually do expire.

25 percent said they would make the jump to an iPhone if their existing operator offered it. And, not surprisingly, 40 percent plan to wait for the price to drop before buying an iPhone.

Another recent survey, this one by Markitecture, found that while 77 percent of its 1300 respondents are aware of the iPhone and many have a good impression of the device only 6 percent said they would actually buy one, while two thirds of those surveyed said there was "zero chance" they would get an iPhone.

6 percent is still a high number for the cell phone market, actually; much higher than Apple's stated goal for the device, which is to capture 1 percent (about 10 million units) of the 1 billion global mobile handset market by the end of 2008. If awareness of the iPhone increases when it ships, then Apple's could far exceed its expectations.

So what can we expect when Apple and AT&T start selling the iPhone in June?

I suspect the device will ship at high volumes for the first few months before tailing off a bit later in the year, followed by some price cuts and the introduction of a new model (with 3G) in the U.S. by spring/earlier summer of 2008.

Once the hype dies down and people actually have the device in their hands we'll finally be able get some sober reactions to the iPhone and be able to truly reflect on its potential. P> It's way too earlier to determine, as some have already asserted, that the iPhone is a revolutionary device, let alone one that will have a revolutionary effect on the wireless industry, or that the phone will be a failure as a few pundits have predicted.