The White House has announced availability of the White House App for iPhones, which among other things can be used to access streaming video of President Obama's upcoming State of the Union address. It's the latest example of a trend in government to deliver data and content to the mobile, Web-connected public.The new app, which is available for free on Apple's iTunes Store, can be used to access White House news announcements, blogs, photos, and videos of speeches and briefings. "This is just the first step for WhiteHouse.gov's mobile platform," Dave Cole wrote on the White House Blog.

The administration plans to launch a WhiteHouse.gov mobile app for a wider range of Web-enabled mobile devices "in the coming weeks." The mobile development initiative is part of the Obama team's broader "open government" initiative.

Other government agencies are also launching smartphone apps. In January, the Postal Service announced USPS Mobile for iPhones and iPods, a GPS-enabled application that can be used to locate Post Office facilities, track packages, or look up zip codes.

In October, NASA released an app for iPhones and iPods that can be used to access photos, video, and other information on the space agency's missions and to track the International Space Station and other space craft. An upgrade, version 1.1, added higher resolution images, status updates on scheduled launches, and other features.

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