I have had the opportunity to play with some of the top Apple 3G iPhone Apps this past week while on vacation, and will be discussing a few here that I think may be of special interest to our Metro-North readers.

The first is an app called AOL Radio (iTunes link), which is the first of several Internet tuner apps I will be discussing.

The primary benefit of AOL Radio over other internet radio apps available for the iPhone is that it has a ‘locals’ category which helps you find internet stations which are located near you.

This is an incredibly important feature for the iPhone, because the iPhone does not have a radio like, say, a Microsoft Zune. There is no way to get local news over your iPhone until it appears on a web page. Radio is much more responsive in providing up-to-the-minute reports.

This is also especially useful for commuters, as you can get realtime traffic and public transit reports as well. For example – when a building in Harlem collapses, or a steam pipe explodes, or there is a morning flash flood, the best way to get information about related service delays is probably a local AM station like 1010 Wins. WCBS is also on AOL Radio, as is WTIC in Connecticut.