Barack Obama tackles the iPhone

Today, the Obama campaign unleashed on Apple iPhone users a slick-looking application for keeping its partisans up-to-date and plugged-in to the election effort.

The application, which is available for Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch devices through the firm's App Store, is called Obama '08 (there are two other Obama-themed apps in the store).

From the app's informational page, here's the feature breakdown (in our patented gigantic block quote font):

* Call Friends: A great volunteering tool that lets you make a difference any time you want by talking to people you already know. Your contacts are prioritized by key battleground states, and you can make calls and organize results all in one place.

* Call Stats: See nationwide Obama '08 Call Friends totals and find out how your call totals compare to leading callers.

* Get Involved: Do more. Find and contact your local Obama for America HQ.

* Receive Updates: Receive the latest news and announcements via text messages or email.

* News: Browse complete coverage of national and local campaign news.

* Local Events: Find local events, share by email and get maps and directions.

* Media: Browse videos and photos from the campaign

* Issues: Get clear facts about Barack Obama and Joe Biden's plan for essential issues facing Americans.

I downloaded the app and took it for a quick spin on my iPod Touch -- since my Touch lacks a phone, I wasn't able to use the app's "Call Friends" feature, but I got a look at some call stats from other users.

The app sports a "local events" function that taps the iPhone's location services to figure out where you are, spit out a list of nearby events, and then, if you choose, pipe the event location information over to the Google Maps app to provide directions. Apparently, there's a fundraiser later today a scant three miles from my current location.

Similarly, there's a media option that hooks you up with Obama videos that you can watch on the device's built-in YouTube player.

The "Issues" feature of the software contains a breakdown on 28 different topics. All we need now is a McCain iPhone app--and some third application to mash up the two, and perhaps to keep track of shifts in position.