No joke. The world population is 6,706,993,152 according to a July 2008 estimate. So the iPhone App store hitting one billion downloads is pretty significant, especially considering the fact that the it has only been a little more than two years since the iPhone was first introduced and less than a year since the iPhone 3G and the App Store were launched.

So in the spirit of celebrating one of the material possessions that have changed my life by putting everything at, quite literally, the palm of my hand, thus changing many of “my ways” – from the way I wake up to the way I entertain myself – I thought I would put together a list of favorite applications. The respondents include my roommates, fellow Twitterers and yours truly. I’ll try to break this list down before that counter on the Apple home page hits the billion mark. It’s moving so fast I’m afraid I won’t make it! (Currently at 996,139,962 downloads)

NOTE: Anything in red is me speaking… starting now.

Question:What iPhone app has changed or improved your life? In whichever way…

My roommate Dan. Senior at Trinity University, majoring in Finance, originally from California, 22 years old.
ViewTi: It has almost every golf course in the U.S.. You go to a course, type in its name and it uses GPS to tell you how far away the hole is so you know which club to use. It also keeps scores. The ultimate golf application. It was $1.99 but there is a $29.99 version. Supposed to be absolutely ridiculous. Dan is a golf nerd.
WikiTap: Wikipedia for your phone. Quicker than going to the actual Web site.
Blooomberg: Any financial news that you can imagine and helps you track your portfolios as well. He’s a finance nerd as well.
Pandora: I use that quite a bit. A lot when I work out. I’d say this one actually changed my life. I use it ALL the time. And I agree, listening to music will never be the same.
Word Whirl: I told him about this one. And Peter as well. A game where you get six letters and two minutes and you have to make as many words as you can. The game has a multi-player feature, you can play online or host a game on your network. Not going to lie, it has brought us roommates together in more than one occasion.
Light Saber Unleashed: I told him about this one too! Many light saber fights have ensued. One in public, while shopping for groceries. People stared.
LOLcats: Dan loves cats. Dan loves cats more when they are ridiculous. This application was made for him.
UrbanSpoon: I think we all saw this one in one of those “… there’s an app for that” commercials. It finds places to eat for you when you can make up your mind. Forces you to try new places which is cool and to me, has been pretty life-changing.

My roommate Peter. Graduate student at Trinity University, majoring in accounting, originally from England, 23 years old.
BlackJack Run Lite: You have 30 seconds to try to win five different games of blackjack. You get points for the value of the cards. Realistically, the maximum you can get is 105 base points. You get points for how much time you have left – 10 points for every remaining second. If you are fast, can add quickly you can get at least 200 extra points there. You get points for getting blackjack. If you get it with a face card and an ace you get an additional 100 points. If you get it with more than two cards you only get 50 points. So to get the best score you want to get four two-card blackjacks to get 400 extra points. And you have to get blackjack on the fifth game to get another extra 50 points. If you get all blackjacks you get an additional 200 points. So the maximum score, realistically, can be 105 + 200 + 400 + 50 = 755 + 200 = 955 to 960 points. And you do this for three rounds. Your score is tallied and the high scores are ranked. You can compare them to other high scores around the world. My highest score is really good — 2,233 (he swears he had a 2,300-something). I’m only 300 points away from getting into the top five and being unbelievable. If I played this enough I could get there. Can you tell he’s an accountant??

Response from the Twittersphere:

@colleenpence: My fave iPhone apps are Tweetie, Public Radio, Fiesta (schedule of San Antonio’s annual Fiesta events), Pandora, Facebook.
@Bill_Archinal: Have yet to drink iPhone kool-aid. I like my BlackBerry but BBApp World will not work on my Pearl, technology is passing me by.
@Facelogic: app that I love: Facebook. And [if there was an app made just for me, it would be] one that gives a de-stress massage!

@momonmars: Definitely ReQall. Love the voice to text. I never lose my notes (or my grocery lists) anymore!

My list of favorite or life-changing iPhone app? Other than those mentioned above…

Google Maps: I know it’s not an app perse but it’s my life saver. I drive ANYWHERE now and I know I’m safe. Well, Let me clarify – safe as in I won’t get lost not as in I’ll drive safe because between glancing back at the map directions on my iPhone and driving… I’m actually not that safe.
Skype: This is one is SWEET. I’m originally from Ecuador and can call my mom a lot more often now. All I need is a WiFi spot. As a matter of fact, she is completely foreign to the concept of the iPhone but I bet this would be her favorite app by far.
TED: Me loves. I can watch nerdy, geeky TED Talks right on my phone. I am happy.
Mancala FS5: I loved this game in sixth grade and I love it now on my iPhone. (By the way, I’m a nerd)
TwitterFon: Helps me Twitter wherever I may be. The interface is pretty and it is OH-so-free.
Evernote: It’s pretty much the personal assistant I won’t ever afford. Helps me make notes to remind myself of things later. I forget things I have to do unless I write them down ALL the time.
Shazam: “What song is that? Ugh, that’s frustrating. That’s going to be stuck in my head all day.” – Sound familiar? Shazam helps solve the problem we all agree we have but had no way to solve it… until now.

Counter now at 996,632,713