iPhone 3G, iPhone 3G, App Store, iPhone 3G, Nokia

We all know what's coming. If ever there was going to be a week where the iPhone was going to suck up a greedy amount of column space on our sister site Pocket Picks, it was this one.

Why? Because of the launch of both the App Store and the iPhone 3G if course. Which meant that in the UK, the iPhone's official carrier, O2, was up to its neck in busy from the off. Indeed, as early as Monday, the company's online store nearly collapsed under the pressure of people trying to secure upgrades from their old devices.

In fact, while trying to do just that our very own Stuart Dredge endured all manner of fruitless clicking and refreshing and despite reaching the 'Thanks for your order page' at least once, never got a confirmation email (more about that later).

Immediately after this fiasco, O2 helpfully issued a press release informing customers that "to ensure fairness, O2 will sell the device on a strictly first come, first served basis to both new and upgrading customers in all retail outlets". The plot thickened when we went to an O2 store to investigate, only to be told that O2 wasn't sure about what the situation regarding in-store upgrades was.

It was time to just get on with waiting and allow the imminent arrival of the App Store to take centre stage (and our minds off how to get an iPhone 3G on Friday). In a strange twist of circumstance, the App Store arrived several hours ahead of schedule.

What came with it were various free applications to play with, including Facebook, MySpace, Shozu and a collection of music applications that we delighted in messing around with all of Thursday afternoon.

The next day our intrepid Stuart rose bright and early and dutifully raced down to his local O2 store to queue for an iPhone 3G. After waiting patiently for hours and putting up with various unpleasant noises (screaming children, abrasive music, braying tech obsessives) he finally managed to get his hands on one of the coveted devices.

There was soon a full-on unboxing to enjoy before it transpired that the morning's endeavors could have been avoided, as a courier arrived at our man's door carrying a second iPhone 3G, bringing Pocket Picks' official iPhone 3G count to two (surely some sort of record at the time?).

And that, for now concludes our iPhone 3G saga. Expect there to be an application blow-out next week after we've had seven days to get acquainted with all of the new handset's new tricks.

But let's not forget, there is a mobile industry beyond Apple.

Elsewhere this week, Nokia was fairly busy too. First, the BBC made its iPlayer service compatible with the N95. This was followed by a very cool looking patent for some genuinely tactile haptic feedback, though it probably won't see the light of day for an age.

There was also news of a Nokia survey which confirmed that barely anyone recycles their old mobile phones. Lastly, Nokia announced plans to invest in the German town of Bochum to help assuage ill feeling after the company closed its Bochum manufacturing plant earlier this year.

And that dear readers is about it. Expect a more varied collection of mobile news next week, then – click 'Track It!' to be sure not to miss it.