Leave it to Apple. After installing iPhone firmware version 2.0 this morning, an icon for the Apps Store appeared on my phone. I opened it up right away. In less than 5 minutes I had downloaded several applications. Apple makes it too easy.The firmware update process took a solid 15 minutes. After the firmware was updated, it took about 5 to 7 minutes to restore my previous settings, which it did without issue.

The iPhone Apps Store is very similar in appearance and function to the iTunes Music Store that is available from the iPhone. Along the bottom, you can sort by featured apps, go to categories, see the top 25 apps, search, or look for updates to existing apps.

There are some 500 apps available in the store beginning today, and about 25% of them are free. I've downloaded a handful of the free ones, such as the AIM, eBay, Remote, NYTimes, Jott, AOL Radio, Twitterific, Light, Google and Facebook apps.

With an active Wi-Fi connection up and running, each application took approximately 10 seconds to download and install. I haven't tried downloading via EDGE yet.

The store is configured in such a way that finding the apps you want is ridiculously easy. Having the finger-touch interface makes selecting things fast, and the speed of the store and iPhone make it even faster.

After spending just a few moments with it, I have to say, job well done, Apple.