Amazon is likely to unveil its first-ever smartphone on Wednesday. But before the media and Amazons own customers arrive in Seattle for the big event, the company is spending today talking about apps. There are few metrics more important than app count and selection when grading a phones ecosystem, and Amazon wants the world to know that its faring well on both points. The Amazon Appstore, which houses apps compatible with Kindle Fire hardware and most Android devices, has nearly tripled in the past year, the company announced today.