Hey, remember the iPhone? No, not Linksys's massively successful VOIP handset--we're all sick and tired of hearing about that thing. I speak, rather of Apple's knockoff, which has thus far has managed to fly under the media radar. Turns out the thing is launching today. I know this, because I got a call from my friend, Mia, who, it so happens, is one of the first in line for the thing down at the Apple store in Manhattan's Apple store.

What kind of person would stand first in line for an iPhone? An overzealous fanboy/girl? A sweaty, professional line-sitter? The answers to those questions are, respectively, yes and yes. My friend's reason, however, is far less, you know, embarrassing. Mia works for a group called Keep a Child Alive, and rather than actively entertaining dreams of making neighbors and coworkers insanely jealous, like their fellow cositters, Keep a Child Live is sitting in line to help improve the lives of AIDS orphans in Africa.

Heeding the old "what would the Jesus phone do" question, the first iPhone sold at the Soho will be auctioned off on eBay, who will match the donation price. Proceeds will be used to purchase ARV drugs for African children with the disease. Almost makes you rethink all of the time you've spent obsessing over gadgets. Almost.

[Image via Flickr.]