With the mobile operating system market heating up with the upcoming launch of Palm's webOS and version 3.0 of the iPhone's operating system, it pays to take a good look at how the various mobile platforms compare to one another. This is exactly what Engadget has done.
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Member since:2006-05-26
You need to do more research: only if you lift your finger up from a virtual key without having gone off into some other space does it activate that key, in the same manner that left-clicking a mouse doesn't activate a menu item, but rather releasing the mouse button while still having it selected.
But, there's no logical reason to expect you to have researched that 
Member since:2005-06-29
YOU haven't done your research. The iPhone keyboard works like this: the key under your finger upon release is the one that's going to appear. It is impossible to rest your finger on a key without it producing a character. Other virtual keyboards produce a character on first touch.
Which was the OP's question: can I rest my finger on the keyboard without pressing any of the keys? No, you cannot. This is nothing like mouse behaviour.
Edited 2009-03-21 16:11 UTC
Member since:2007-07-20
Member since:2006-05-26
And despite Thom Holwerda's stupid assertion otherwise in response to my post above this one, find an iPhone (mine currently has 3.0 on it) and test this:
1. Place finger on the virtual keyboard, choosing a letter.
2. Now that your finger is on that letter on the keyboard, you will see enlarge: but, the system has NOT committed to typing in that letter yet.
3. Drag that finger off the top of the virtual keyboard into the visible area of your application above it: note that you may have other letters enlarged on the way to the outside of the keyboard, but unless you lift your finger off the screen before you get off the virtual keyboard, it will NOT keep that virtual keystroke!
This is 100% repeatable, unless you're a so-called "journalist" that doesn't actually test things that are clearly stated, and instead likes to accuse people of not doing their research.
(edited below to be above in response to correctly state the relative post)
Edited 2009-03-21 20:51 UTC
Member since:
2005-06-29
No.