Until recently, I have loved using my iPhone. It has been a great device for surfing the internet and other activities, such as getting directions or getting quick stock quotes. The performance of the phone has been not too good.
But now I am experiencing a dead spot on the touch screen. After doing a search, I have found that this is a common problem with the iPhone. Many have described it as a dead strip. Sounds accurate to me. The dead spot on mine does go across the entire screen. As you can imagine it is quite annoying.
The most annoying part is where it is located. I think no matter where it is located it would be annoying. The dead spot is located about half way up the screen. It happens to be right where the 7, 8, and 9 keys are on the phone’s keypad. If you try hard enough, you can get the number you want. A work around I have found is to enter the number in a new contact since it uses a different keypad.
Even more annoying is that I can’t send a text message since the send button happens to be where the dead spot is.
So I am going to call Apple tomorrow and see if they will help me out. I may end up having to visit the genius bar to have them take a look. I’ll let you know what happens. If anybody has any advice, please do tell.
I'm Josh Harrison, a freelance WordPress developer located in Seattle, WA. 
I think that’s one of the features, Josh… it keeps you from accidentally dialing “911.” Good thinking, Apple!
It looks like the only fix is to take it to the Apple store and let them replace the screen. Although, I did find the following which may prove helpful.
http://www.ipaqrepair.co.uk/ipaqpart1184.html
My Iphone had the same problem too after using it for about an year. I simply went on Genius Bar, made an appointment, went to Apple Store, gave them my IPhone, and they just replaced it. I walked out of the store with a new IPhone.