Obama's iPhone App

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I am beginning to feel like the last person on earth who does not have an iPhone—and that sense of being left out was amplified recently, when I read a forthcoming article by reporter Nitasha Tiku on the emerging aftermarket for iPhone software apps. As Nitasha reports, Apple's new App Store has produced downloads in the millions, and a flurry of competition, as new developers post apps in an effort to get in on the frenzy. Now, CNet reports that Barack Obama's presidential campaign has released its own app, the latest effort in the campaign's groundbreaking and creative use of mobile technology to identify and interact with like-minded voters.

"The most notable feature 'organizes and prioritizes your contacts by key battleground states, making it easy to reach out and make an impact quickly," CNet's Declan McCullough writes. "On my phone, the application ranked contacts in Colorado, Michigan, and New Mexico at the top; at the bottom was a friend whose cell phone has a Texas number, though she actually lives in California." (Read the rest of McCullough's post here.)

Throughout the campaign, Obama's team has used cutting-edge technology mostly as an organizing tool, but also partly to reinforce the theme of "change" that has been the hallmark of the senator's run for president. It's a smart strategy. Check out the app and let me know how well it works.

Mike Hofman

Mike Hofman was previously editor of Inc.com and a deputy editor at Inc. magazine, which he joined in 1996. The site was nominated for a National Magazine Award for Digital Media in 2010, and was named the best business website by Folio Magazine. In 2006, Hofman was part of a team of writers nominated for a Webby Award for best business blog. He lives in New York City.