I'm not one to search the patent office. Typically, I let the hardcore fans with nothing better to do do that, and I typically don't report on it. However, this begged for some coverage.

In January of this year, Sony took a set of patents, apparently under Phil Harrison as the inventor, based around a "hand-held [sic] device with touchscreen and digital tactile pixels." "Game device" is mentioned, and thus the possibility of a future PSP model, more likely the PSPhone we expect to come out sometime between 2009 and never, will have a touch screen.

This isn't much of a surprise at all, considering the success of touchscreen devices such as the Nintendo DS, iPhone and many smart phones (Blackberry's appeal is an oddity). For anyone used to touchscreens, its difficult to go back to regular controls, and anyone who's used one loves it. 

What would be really newsworthy is whether or not the PSPhone, should it exist, have one screen or two, have actual buttons and analog sticks (retractible or otherwise), and how small it'll be. There are so many ways to make it an epic piece of hardware, but Sony obviously doesn't want to make it too expensive, wants to support some memory card (hint, memory stick pro duo's), have it work as a phone and keep it sturdy.

When we hear something about it in a year and a half, we'll get excited. 

PSP Fanboy