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Even though the 3G iPhone had a rocky start with the ill-fated “iPocalypse”, Apple was still able to sell over 1 million units. This is a worldwide tally but is still nothing short of amazing. According to Steve Jobs it took 74 days for the original iPhone to sell 1 million handsets.

Along with the recent 3G iPhone numbers, Apple has said that the App Store has reached the 10 millionth download marker.

“The App Store is a grand slam, with a staggering 10 million applications downloaded in just three days,” from the man Steve Jobs himself.

Today, AOL has officially gotten into the ‘app’ business by releasing three new applications for the iPhone/iPod Touch. AOL Instant Messenger, AOL Radio, and Truveo are the applications which are now on Apple’s App store and available for anyone to download.

AOL has sent a press release with details on each of the apps, and what new features will be available to iPhone/iPod Touch users.

Here’s what Kevin Conroy, Executive Vice President of AOL had to say, “With AIM, AOL Radio and Truveo for the iPhone, consumers now have access to the world’s largest instant messaging network, over 350 streaming radio stations and millions of online videos…Over the past twelve months, AOL has revitalized its Mac development efforts and we’re thrilled to be bringing our world-class communications and multi-media experiences to iPhone users around the world via the App Store.”

All of the apps were built using the Apple’s iPhone Software Development Kit (SDK). AIM which is probably going to be most popular download has been completely programmed for iPhone/iPod Touch interactivity. Messaging a friend is as easy as tapping your friend’s name and typing your message. To switch between conversation you simply swipe your finger to scroll through different windows. One of the coolest features for AIM is the ability to take a picture with the iPhone camera and use it as a buddy icon. AIM will work automatically over Wi-Fi, EDGE, or the upcoming 3G network.

AOL Radio has also been customized to provide a better streamlined experience for an iPhone/iPod Touch user. Just like AOL Radio on the PC/Mac, there will be 350 stations, with 150 of those being local CBS stations, and 200 being genre stations provided by AOL. The cool feature that makes the app unique for iPhone/iPod Touch users is that it uses the Core location framework so it detects your current location. Once your device detects your location, the nearest CBS local stations are automatically provided. AOL Radio will also detect your current connection speed, so if you’re on a low cellular connection the audio will be provided on a lower bandwidth. If you are on a Wi-Fi network, the audio will have a higher quality.

AOL had this to say about their radio program, “At Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference in June, AOL Radio was highlighted during the iPhone Developer Showcase and received the Apple Design Award for “Best Entertainment Application.”

Truveo is AOL’s video service, which provides over a million available videos at the current status. These videos come from CNN, Discovery Channel, HBO, NBC, PBS, Channel, Comedy Central, MTV and YouTube.

All three apps are available at the Apple App store, and can be found here.

Apple’s MobileMe service has launched on Me.com. It will replace the .Mac service and provide users with an web based email, addressbook, etc… The Apple TV update will now provide additional support for the MobileMe service.

There have been reported problems with customers not getting an automatic download. Go under you System preferences, then to .Mac, and then Account details to begin the download.

For those of you who are still teetering on the fence about whether or not to pick up the 3G iPhone are in luck. The first reviews for the phone are in, and so far everything looks to be peachy keen. Here is a few key quotes from the reviews, and what the consensus is.

Walter Mossberg’s Review Synopsis - “If you’ve been waiting to buy an iPhone until it dropped in price, or ran on faster cell networks, you might want to take the plunge, if you can live with the higher service costs and the weaker battery life. The same goes for those with existing iPhones who love the device but crave faster cellular data speeds. But if you already own an iPhone, and can usually use Wi-Fi for data, you probably should hold off and get the free software upgrade before deciding whether it’s worth getting the new hardware.”

Edward Baig’s USA Today Review - “Apple’s claims that 3G speeds are twice as fast as Edge were confirmed by my own download tests. It generally took 10 to 30 seconds to load popular websites through 3G, a lot zippier than when I accessed the sites on Edge. Oddly, parts of the pages sometimes showed up first on the older iPhone screen”

“The physical size and shape of the new iPhone hasn’t changed much. There’s the same lovely 3 1/2-inch multi-touch display. The new device is a bit curvier on the back than the first one.”

“Apple has improved overall audio quality of the device. The speaker phone sounded better, as did music played directly through the phone’s speaker.”

“As with its predecessor, iPhone 3G doesn’t support popular Web browsing standards such as Adobe Flash, Windows Media Video or Java. And there’s still no removable battery.”

David Pogue’s New York Time Review - “So the iPhone 3G is a nice upgrade. It more than keeps pace with advancing technology, and new buyers will generally be delighted.”

“Above all, the iPhone is about to become a dazzling hand-held game machine. The games revealed so far feature smooth 3-D graphics and tilt control; in one driving simulator, you turn the iPhone itself like a steering wheel, and your 3-D car on the screen banks accordingly. Other games exploit the multitouch screen, so you and a buddy can sit at opposite ends of the screen and fire at each other.”

“Unfortunately, most of the standard cellphone features that were missing from the first iPhone are still missing. There’s still no voice dialing, video recording, copy-and-paste, memory-card slot, Bluetooth stereo audio or phone-to-phone photo sending (MMS). And when the battery needs replacement after a couple of years, you’ll still have to pay Apple $86 for a replacement.”

It seems like any information concerning Apple these days pretty much relates to the 3G iPhone. 8am on July 11th can’t come quickly enough, as that’s when I will become a proud owner of the 3G iPhone. Apparently there are a couple of things we need to know before making our purchase.

First, there are a few items and pieces of information that you’ll need before making a purchase:

* Credit card
* Social security number
* Valid, government-issued photo ID
* Your current wireless account number and password or PIN (if you’re new to AT&T)

Also, Apple is going with the tried-and true system of making a first come, first serve basis. “iPhone 3G will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis, and sales will start at 8:00 a.m. Arrive early to get in line as daily quantities are limited by stock on hand.”

Hope everyone is able to pick their 3G iPhone up come July 11th.

As the announcements of the data rate prices come pouring in, so do the consumer outrages. Over in the US, a writer for Technewsworld.com has voiced his complaints about the increase. I personally am not too happy about it, but that’s just the way the industry works.

The 3G technology is an upgrade from the previous model. Just like any kind of technological upgrade, the cost is going to rise along with it. In Canada they are petitioning Rogers’, the carrier of the 3G iPhone to decrease the rates.

So how upset are you about the data plan increase? Will it keep you from purchasing your 3G iPhone, or is it a moot point at the present time?