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Proving once again that nothing enables crooks more than the internet, Gizmodo is warning iPhone app-seekers to steer clear of scams:

Not evil twin to theiPhoneBlog.com Week in Review, not an invasion by Fake Steve, This Week in Smart Phone Schadenfreude brings you all the feel-better news you need about the smartphone world outside Apple’s current media dominator. (Who knew there was such a world? We were just as surprised! Inelegant, interface challenged, keyboardy, crashy, single-touchy place — best not to linger…). Join us as we mock review the big news from last week at our sister sites. Everybody loves sibling rivalry!

This week: Blackberry device outages, Android SDK, Palm launches Treo 700 v3

MobileMe: We've already told you about the less than silky smooth launch, the about-face on "push", the exorcising of the "Exchange for the Rest of Us" slogan, and the apology letter from Apple that saw everyone -- even people on the 2 month free trial -- get a FREE month of service tacked on for good measure. What more could go wrong?

How about botching the credit card authorization process and having to issue a second apology letter and offer an additional FREE month?

Yup. Scaling any business, even one as tightly run and usually incredibly well managed as Apple is a nightmare, and it looks like what with simultaneous iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0, App Store, and MobileMe launches in up to 20+ countries at the same time is causing some cracks in Apple's traditionally glossy shell.

Temporary bump or signs of things to come on the road to 10 Million iPhones and ever-growing Mac sales?

Full text of Apple's second apology letter after the break!

Thanks to Ryan for sending it in!

Beginning last Friday, it's been an exciting time for the iPhone community and for all of us here at TiPB as we've witnessed and participated in the launch of the much-anticipated iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0, the App Store, and MobileMe. Although things didn't go 100% according to plan for Apple, and even though there are numerous bugs to fix and ghosts in the machine to exorcize, there is quite a bit of "new" to be excited about!

With the release of iPhone 2.0 and the App Store, there are now tons of apps to choose from, with more being added each day. Our readers are getting in on the app action and excitement with the opportunity to earn TiPB Store discounts by reviewing apps via our iPhone App Lightning Reviews promotion.

I am now proud to announce the beginning of the iPhone App Avalanche, a brief overview of iPhone apps from the iTunes App Store that will be brought to you here at TiPB. Stop by often for frequent App Avalanche app overviews over the next couple of weeks, then settle in for a weekly overview. With the introductions out of the way, let's jump into iPhone App Avalanche 1!

Confession: I use 1Password on the Mac a lot. I just used it to login so I could write this preview. I use it (synced via keychain) to my desktop at home, and I've used the various incarnations of the 1Password javascript bookmarklet on the original iPhone 2G. But now they've gone native, baby!

Internet security is a a huge concern, and with mobile internet security we ain't seen nothing yet. Browsers the caliber of MobileSafari make it possible to do our transactions on the go, be it logging into our favorite social network, or doing some emergency banking on the road. But what if we get out of the cab and leave our iPhone behind? If it gets snatched? What if someone else takes possession of the tiny little device with all our precious logins on it?

Read on to find out!

Interested in knowing what apps are being bought at the App Store? Well, lucky you, Medialets has estimates for your viewing pleasure. To determine demand, Medialets uses the number of ratings each app has and also takes into account the average rating of an app as well. So though it may not be the most accurate measurement, it's still a fairly good barometer in determining app popularity.

A super...   a monkey...  a ball.  A Super...  a Monkey...  a Ball.  These are not three different games!

Does the above phrasing sound familiar?  Steve Jobs used this same kind of phrasing when first introducing the iPhone waaaaaaaay back in January 2007.  Much has happened since then!  We finally have the iPhone 3G and, even more importantly (in my opinion), we have iPhone 2.0 and the Apps Store!  

You may have heard of a little game called Super Monkey Ball from SEGA?  It's only just the top app at the iTunes App Store.  It's only $9.99.  We got a taste of it several months ago at the last WWDC during the keynote and there has been salivation, hand-wringing and garment-rending ever since.  Finally, with the release of iPhone 2.0 and the App Store last week, the venerable Super Monkey Ball is available for download from the iTunes App Store via your desktop or right to your iPhone.

Does it measure up to the hype?  The answer is --- (suspense killing ya?)  Full review is a click away!

This time last week Dieter was holding the line in Rhode Island, Chad was laying the video smack down in Ohio, Brian was too busy getting him some apps to even say where he was, and Casey was waiting for the lines to die down (good luck with that!)

Next up: a review from iPhoneMilk: Texas Hold 'Em. It's a very well made game and (surprise!) it's developed by none other than Apple, Inc. You can but it on iTunes for just $4.99.

Hello everyone this will be my first review of an iPhone app, More reviews are to come to stay tuned =)

First off, What's the App?- Texas Hold'em!

This is a must buy for you poker fans! I myself often love to go out and play poker in real person and I always try out the occasional poker game for any device/pc just to see what it's like, but this game has me coming back for more!

Surprise, surprise, the Free Software Foundation doesn't want you to use an iPhone 3G. Less surprisingly, they don't want to provide anything more than hyper-sensational, factually challenged reasons why you shouldn't buy it:

Phone completely blocks free software. iPhone endorses and supports Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) technology. iPhone exposes your whereabouts and provides ways for others to track you without your knowledge. iPhone won't play patent- and DRM-free formats like Ogg Vorbis and Theora. iPhone is not the only option.

Sigh. Why is it those who demand freedom the most are usually the same ones who respect freedom of choice the least?

They go on to call Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, a snake-oil salesman who uses good design to pied-piper the dull mundane consumers into buying his shiny little toy, thus abandoning themselves drone-like to his evil, conspiratorial prison. Patronizing? Hypocritical? Black and white just one option too many for the FSF?

DaringFireball gives it a sentence. Allow me to give it a retort! (After the break)