White House Releases iPhone App on Inaugural Anniversary

Just in time for the first anniversary of President Obama’s inauguration, the White House has released an iPhone app [download] stuffed with features chronicling the daily activities of his administration.

The new app features content from the White House blog, which is updated regularly with the activities of the President and his team, the First Lady, Cabinet members, and others. The posts link back to WhiteHouse.gov via Safari, where users can leave comments (if the post is one that requests them), and see related information. The coolest part is the streaming video, users can watch everything from Michelle Obama and the First Dog Bo surprising visitors on White House tours this morning, to next week’s State of the Union address.

The Live tab connects directly to events taking place at that moment–earlier today Domestic Policy Advisor Melody Barnes hosted a live chat and answered questions submitted via Facebook about school reform that I was able to watch directly from my phone. If you want to give it a try, the next live event will be the daily press conference with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs at 2pm EST.

With the release of the app the White House also announced plans for a new mobile version of their site, mobile.whitehouse.gov, which should be available in the next few weeks. This app is the latest tool the Obama Administration has deployed in its drive to open up the inner workings of the federal government to the public. I would love to see future versions include some sharing options to push the content via Facebook and Twitter, but I’m excited to have such direct access to the government through something I carry with me all the time.

About the Author
Lesly Simmons is a freelance writer and interactive communications and events specialist based in San Francisco, California.
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