mocoNews.net - Obama Launches iPhone App That Helps You Call Friends In Key Battleground States

The Obama campaign launched an iPod Touch and iPhone application today that encourages people to get involved with just 33 days left until election day. The app is now available on the iPhone's app store. Once downloaded, it has a number of helpful features: there's a one-touch button to donate to the campaign; it organizes your address book in order of key battleground states; and there's also links to the latest news. When I clicked on "Call Friends," it instantly listed my address book in order of states. People in Colorado were listed first, then Virginia, followed by Nevada and Ohio. One thing to note is that the Obama campaign reserves the right to know how many calls you make, but does not track who you call. One of the more interesting features is "local events," which retrieves information based on your GPS location. Today, there's a ton of parties lined up for tonight's vice-presidential debate. The options range from bars and restaurants to people offering up their homes, all listed by proximity to your home.

Interestingly, the app was developed by a team of developers, at least one of which was in Portland, Ore. Jason Grigsby writes on his blog that the secret project took 22 days to finish with the help of a small team of developers. He writes: "The application is a great example of how mobile technology and the iPhone in particular can be used to change politics. One of the things we are proudest of is the fact that it helps people become what we started referring to as two-minute activists."

There's a number of other election-focused apps, including some supporting the democrats as a whole, but not much on the republican front. McCain had one search result and it was for inauguration countdown that was produced by Spiffyware, which also produced a companion app for Obama.