Is it just me or is there a distinct dearth of iPhone app updates lately?

It seems like every iPhone app developer has shifted into high gear and is racing to push out an app updated to run on the recently announced iPhone OS 3.0 using the new associated SDK.

I suppose that's a reasonable thing to do given that 3.0 will make the iPhone even more attractive, even with the increasing, and in some cases feature trumping competition from the Me-Tos.

This is especially true for those folks who made apps with functions that will be eclipsed in the new OS. TouchType, iProRecorder, and any note taker that allowed landscape typing will need to find a new hook to attract users.

I'm a huge fan of iTalk, for instance. Griffin Technology did a great job making a voice recorder app that's simple to use, does what it's suppose to, and does it with flare.

iProRecorder is another cool recorder app that features a nice file organizer and other neat little touches.

TouchType was a nice little app that lets me use the bigger landscape keyboard to create and reply to email messages. I wished the app worked in Notes and SMS. If it had I would have been a very happy to stay with iPhone OS 2.2.1.

If Apple's promised replacement apps and upgrades are any good at all I can't see why I would use any of the apps they replace. TouchType is definitely history. iProRecorder will probably survive, but iTalk Lite likely won't even though it's free. Why would Griffin support an app no one but a few die hards use?

There are other apps that won't or shouldn't exist once iPhone 3.0 arrives. Luckily there are many more that will continue to thrive in Apple's app Garden of Eden. And lucky for us, many of those apps are free.

I'm hoping that with the new APIs in iPhone 3.0 existing apps will gain new cooler features.

For instance, I like WebMD Mobile, not because I'm a hypochondriac, but because it put a bunch of medical knowledge in easy reach.

There are some things we should know how to do without relying on any technology. CPR, the Heimlich Maneuver, and what to do in the event of a nasty cut or fall should be the least of our medical knowledge.

There are incidences, of course, that go beyond basic first aid and a medical professional is not handy, that's when WebMD comes in handy.

Is that cough something to see a doctor about? How can you tell the difference between a sprained ankle or a broken one? What are the possible causes for a stiff and swollen wrist? WebMD can give you answers to all of the questions and more.

The app IS NOT a replacement for a medical opinion, but it does make you more informed and can offer suggestions on how to get temporary treatment until you can see a doctor.

I can see this or an app like it include an option where you can make a 911 call and send the 911 operator a photo of the injured person who can then advise you better about what steps to take while waiting for help to arrive. Talk about a life saver!

WebMD Mobile is a free app at the iTunes Store.

If having a medical reference handy at all times is coolness on a stick what would having ready access to a language translator be like?

Imagine using peer to peer connectivity available in iPhone OS 3.0 send text to a person you are trying to communicate with. You type it in in your language on your iPhone, they see what you've typed in their language on their iPhone.

Pretty nice, huh? It's not Star Trek's Universal Translator, but it is tantalizingly close and I would pay real American dollars for such an app. For now I'll have to settle for Language Translator, a freebie app that uses Google's translator to do the heavy lifting.

If you've used any online translator then you'll understand how Language Translator works: Enter in a word or phrase you want translated, pick a language you want your text to be translated into and voilà, it's translated. Translations can be literal and may not be what you intended to say, and since Google does the translation you are dependent on network speed.

Still, it works well enough. Language Translator is free from the iTunes Store.

OK, I've got to include a game in this mix, and the strangest game I've run across so far is Sway by Illusion Labs.

Explaining Sway is tough though the back story is simply enough: You help Lizzie, a very odd looking lizard swing through mazes to reunite with her friend.

Sounds simple enough, right?

Not so fast. Remember, I said you got to get Lizzie to swing through the mazes. Well, just like a deep geek learning to Rumba, it's tough to learn how to get Lizzie to swing and grab. It kind of like controlling one of those super sticky jell toys you've seen kids play with, you know, the ones that stick to glass and other smooth surfaces like a big glob of nose jelly.

It's tricky, but once you get the hang of it you can get Lizzie to perform some really interesting stunts.

There are points to be gotten, times to beat, and friend to hook up with and all of it done just swinging about.

I'm not sure why Illusion Labs called this Sway, a more appropriate name would have been Swing. Even so, the graphics are first rate and the game is all kinds of fun.

The free 'Lite' version limits you to just Lizzie, there are other swingers in the paid versions as well as more places to swing to.

When iPhone 3.0 arrives I'd like to see some head to head competition using the new peer to peer networking feature. Now that would make Sway sweet indeed.

Sway Lite is big free iPhone fun. Go get some.

That's a wrap for this week.

Stop back next week for more free iTunes fun.

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Vern Seward is a writer who currently lives in Orlando, FL. He’s been a Mac fan since Atari Computers folded, but has worked with computers of nearly every type for 20 years.