Trying to avoid the hype of the iPhone has proven to be no easy task. Especially with our report today that this Apple gadget has been upgraded even before it initially ships.

The beef is that Apple hitched it’s fortunes to Cingular/ATT. I was a Cingular customer for about 5 years and finally got fed up with an average of 3 dropped calls every time I wanted to talk to someone. I got excuses of “we’re spending millions upgrading the network, please be patient,” and the even though they would credit me for the dropped calls, the service simply never got better. So I fled and went to Sprint and never looked back.

So, for awhile now, I’ve avoided the iPhone hype simply because I didn’t want to be married to Cingular for two years no matter how cool Apple’s phone is. But it’s getting more and more difficult to ignore the hype that is turning this phone into a juggernaut. Witness iPhone Applications – a site that cagily offers a try before you buy with third party iPhone software.

Offering everything from shopping lists (the first app announced) to even downloaded aviation weather and maps for pilots, to getting the latest movie showtimes at the touch of a button, and even finding the cheapest gas according to zip code. There’s even an app that will announce future apps! These applications are meant to wet everyone’s whistle (as if that wasn’t done when Jobs announced it). This list may just put a few people over the top in deciding to pony up $500 for the phone and a two year service commitment with a lackluster cellphone service.

But someone should tell them that it’s illegal to use a cellphone while you’re flying.