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Hi folks,

On the tail end of the announcement that our beloved App Store has reached 100,000 available downloads, here's a little bit about that, about Steve Jobs, and, well, a little something extra.

100,000 Strong
Apple did, as some have speculated, wait to make their announcement until 100,000 apps were actually in the store, not just in development. However, when we were researching this today, we saw something very interesting--yes, there are that many. But when you look at that number, you kind of expect them to all be unique, individual applications, no?

To quote ComputerWorld, "Books are turning into Apps." And while we love to read and highly recommend it (!) counting the twelve apps devoted to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as distinct kind of bothers us. We wonder how many apps would be available if there were only one The Art of War, or Anna Karenina; because these titles are in the public domain, it's cheap and easy to convert them. Not to take away from the App Store's success, because it has shaped the face of mobile entertainment, but we're curious about how many categories are in the same boat.

Jobs Did It
No one can deny the impact Steve Jobs has had since his return to Apple in 1997. He has singlehandedly (well, with his concepts and ideas, at least) revolutionized the computing, music and cell phone industries and barring another major health incident might have a few more in his sights. He may be eccentric, he may be secretive, he may actually have the Midas touch, but Steve Jobs has been the figurehead for Apple for a very long time, and it is fitting that Fortune Magazine dubbed him the CEO of the decade. Cheers to you, Steve.

And Now For Something...Well, You Know
When a doctor of educational psychology gives the iPhone props, you'd better believe we're going to talk about it here. And maybe we're nerds--ok, we know we're nerds--but the phrase "I'd love to bring Piaget back from the grave and give him an iPhone" just tickled us to the extreme. Apparently the long dead child psychologist would be floored at the iPhone's ability to help children learn, leveling the playing field by sheparding their progression through his documented developmental stages...

The iPhone's mobility promotes learning anywhere, and by translating abstract concepts into concrete ones and allowing the child to be in direct control of the learning process it can transform a potentially empty entertainment experience into an opportunity for learning that will benefit children and parents alike.

For the complete thumb sucking, drooling video, click here...would you give a toddler an iPhone to play with? Tell us on Twitter.

Till tomorrow, Newsies...