When the release date of the first iPhone was announced last year, there was no question what Matt and I would be doing on June 29th. We were both so excited about the iPhone that I was even able to convince Matt to get up early (sort of) so we could go stand in line at the local Canton AT&T store. Being that Canton is far from a major city, we hoped that we wouldn’t be greeted with a line around the building when we arrived at the store. Luckily for us we ended being 14th and 15th in line, but we still had to wait outside in the summer heat for eight hours before we got our hands on the coveted “Jesus” phone. Fast forward to this year and the announcement of the release of the iPhone 3G and 2.0 software update, there was no way that Matt and I wouldn’t be back in Canton, waiting in line for the “second coming”.

However, this year had a completely different feeling for me since I already had an iPhone. Being the Apple junkie that I am, I had already watched the entire WWDC 2008 keynote address, so I knew that after Software Update 2.0 was released my “old clunker” would have many of the same features as the new iPhone 3G. As a result, I wasn’t compelled to wake up before dawn on July 11th to make sure I was one of the first ones in line at the store. Believe it or not, Matt and I actually got to the store at 9am, which was a full hour after the phone went on sale. Unlike last year, we were greeted with a line that was wrapped around the shopping center that had been that full since 6am that morning! I still waited in line for four solid hours, only to be told that they were out of the 16GB Black version I wanted. But I was surprisingly calm and I simply processed my direct fulfillment order for the phone I wanted, then headed out the door.

Why wasn’t I pissed off about standing in line for hours and leaving the store empty handed? It’s simple. The iPhone 2.0 Software Update. As soon as I left the AT&T store I bolted home to install the update so I could begin testing out all the new apps in the App Store. iTunes has never downloaded an update more slowly and the process of backing up my phone seemed to take forever! However, I can not express in words the sheer joy I felt when I finally saw the words “Sync Complete”.

Software Update 2.0 is #$@%&@ amazing! Not taking anything away from new features like Contacts and the ability to save images in an email to your Photo Library, but the App Store and the Apps available for download are just incredible. Apple has made it so easy to browse for new apps, read reviews, and install applications that I truly believe that they are going to have a lock on the cell phone market for years and years to come. Every day it seems I’m installing a new application that blows me away and I can’t wait to see what applications and services are released in the next few years.

The Hot List

Here is a short list of my current favorite applications. I know this isn’t everything, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment and let me know if you find an awesome application that I need to check out!

Remote

This is was the first application I tested out when I accessed the App Store. This app allows me to access iTunes libraries on my computers around the house and control everything that’s being played right from my iPhone. I can browse through my library, access playlists, change tracks, etc. You can bet I’ll be DJing my next party completely from my iPhone! SUWHEET!

Tap Tap Revenge

This is the first game from our good buddy Bart’s new company, Tapulous. At the time of this post it’s the number one application in the App Store (an incredible achievement, congrats guys!). It’s sort of like Guitar Hero for the iPhone, but it takes advantage of the accelerometer which leads to a pretty cool gaming experience. We couldn’t be happier for Bart and the Tapulous team. Rumor has it we’re also in the process of building their new site… but that’s another story for another time, so stay tuned!

PhoneSaber

With this app you can swing your iPhone around like a lightsaber. How frickin’ cool is that?! You can choose from five different lightsaber colors and sound effects are played on the external speaker as you swing your iPhone back and forth. Useful? No. Fun to show off? Hells yes!

Shizam

Ever heard a song and you weren’t sure of the title or who sang it? Shazam lets you put your iPhone near a TV or radio speaker, it listens to 10-15 seconds of the track, sends some data to a server, and then tells you the name of the track and the artist. I swear, it’s like magic! I’ve tested it about 100 times and it can’t always return information, but it’s spot on a vast majority of the time.

Super Monkey Ball

Even though this game is $9.99, after seeing it previewed during the WWDC 2008 Keynote, I knew I was going to buy it. In this game you control one of four monkeys as you weave your way through obstacle courses by titling your iPhone in every direction, doing your best to grab bananas on your way to the finish line.

Enigmo

Also $9.99, the goal of this 3D, physics-based puzzle game is to get drops of liquid into various buckets and containers. You direct the flow of liquid using puzzle pieces that you spin and rotate via the iPhone touchscreen. It’s hard to get a high score, but a joy to play.

AIM

Finally a native IM client for the iPhone! Nothing extra special about AIM, but it’s great when you need to talk to your buddies and you’re away from your computer. I’m really surprised Apple didn’t debut an iChat app though…

Pandora

Using Pandora’s online radio service, you can create your own Station based on particular artist, song, or composer. Pandora then plays songs by related artists right on your iPhone. I’d like it better if there weren’t a six song skip limit per hour on each station, but it’s still one of the cooler music apps on the iPhone.