Mobile app pokes fun at US presidential race

A GAME WHICH takes a light-hearted look at the US presidential election has been released by UK Java house, Masabi. Pick the Prez is a free Java game based on the popular gofer bashing scenario. Although in this case players either throw pretzels @ Bush or baked beans @ Kerry.

Currently Pick the Prez only runs on Nokia Series 60 style Symbian handsets. It has been released to prove the viral marketing model. Built into the game is a facility to send the URL to download the game via SMS (text messaging).

Another feature of the game is that players can cast their vote in an online poll for either Bush or Kerry. Participants then see a pie chart of how well both candidates are doing. To date Kerry appears to be just ahead of Bush.

It is possible to send an email to friends from www.picktheprez.com which supplies the relevant download page which is actually http://wap.picktheprez.com. The SMS forwarding facility is crude as it relies on players remembering their mates mobile phone numbers rather than searching the handset's phonebook.

Overall, it's quite funny but better still it's free. µ