Thank you soooo much, Apple, for shrouding the iPhone in such mystery that it's left everyone painfully confused. Seriously. Of course I didn't really want to get an iPhone ahead of time so I could help explain the device to confused would-be customers. That'd be crazy. Fortunately, the New York Times' David Pogue gets to fill in for me today. He's been using an iPhone for weeks and he's obviously been besieged with questions about it. And unlike the silent masses, Pogue has answers. His just-out FAQ is quite helpful.

Among the highlights from Pogue's FAQ (and the big questions/misconceptions that I've been asked about):

• You can't use the iPhone with gloves or a stylus of any sort, only skin. (Sorry, robots!)
  
• You can't use another SIM card beside the one that comes with the device. However, I'm sure this will be the first thing hackers start messing with, so stay tuned.
• Again, a two-year AT&T contract is required. Required. It won't even work as an iPod without one.
  
• No custom ring tones!
• Using your own headphones is tricky due to weird design on the headphone jack. Adapters are available.
• The only Bluetooth support is with a headset, not a PC or other devices.
• You can't use the iPhone as a wireless modem, though I can't imagine you would need to. That's the whole point.
  
• You can make calls and browse the internet via Wi-Fi at the same time.
• Bookmarks don't sync with Firefox.
• The iPhone really is as fast as it seems in the commercials... as long as you're on a Wi-Fi connection.
• The camera has no flash, no zoom, and no self-portrait mirror.

Man, that's a lot of things that don't really thrill me and only a couple that do (OK, only one). But that's the Apple way: Ship the basic model first, then add features later (or let third-party developers do it with hardware add-ons). 

You can read Pogue's full review (and others) by visiting the links on this post.

LINK: Often-Asked iPhone Questions