[abrigham]

It's gotta be some sort of grounding issue as others have said. I just managed to recreate it on mine. It's a retail device, purchased from Radio Shack on launch day. I set it on my couch cushion and was unable to swipe the notification area down using just one finger (in fact tapping and holding doesn't even bring up the curtain). However, as soon as I touched the top and bottom of the device with two other fingers of the same hand, i was able to pull it down. Also, as with everyone else, it only affects the top portion of the screen. I was able to swipe down the unlock screen w/o any issues.

Also, I didn't notice anyone else mention this, but it also works fine while plugged into the charger.