Knowing the amount of time that a good iPhone app takes to develop, it’s really interesting to see that the Obama app has taken full advantage of the phone’s technology with some pretty exciting functionality.

• Call Friends - your mates are prioritised by key battleground states
• Call Stats – adds an interesting competitive element so you can see how your campaigning compares to others
• Get Involved – Find your local Obama HQ and have the ability to call / email them immediately
• Get Updates – pushed to your phone via SMS or email
• Local Events – use Google maps to find local events and directions and send them to your mates

Americans and non-Americans alike have developed a passion for politics and indeed change, that hasn’t been seen for a long time and applications like this one are the proof that Obamaniacs will do whatever they can to get their friends, family and colleagues registered to vote and on Obama’s side.

Thanks to Mark for the tip!

iTunes 8 includes Genius, which makes playlists from songs in your library that go great together. Genius also includes Genius sidebar, which recommends music from the iTunes Store that you don’t already have.

I’m not too bothered about the rest of the updates but it’s good news that the film studios are finally getting their acts together and are actively getting involved with online downloads and rentals. I’m really keen to see how this will affect the theatrical to DVD to PPV to Sky distribution model. Something has to give and this could finally create the demand that’s needed to change the film distribution model.