Friday Poll: Is Obama the iPhone?

News.com Poll

Obama as gadget
If Barack Obama were a piece of tech gear, which would he be?

iPhone (aka the JesusPhone)
Baby's first Walkman
Facebook
Windows Vista

View results

As part of CNET News' election coverage, we thought we'd turn the Crave Friday Poll to a burning question on the minds of so many voters. If the two major presidential candidates were tech gadgets, which would they be? We'll start with Barack Obama and move on to John McCain next Friday. After all, we believe in equal opportunity (that's equal opportunity harassment) here.

If none of our poll options quite fits, in your view, be sure to suggest your own ideas in the Talkback section below. We know you'll come up with some great ones.

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Democrats' quest for the White House

[obamabuds]

You can turn your iPhone earbuds into an Obama logo at www.obamabuds.com !

[jprandg]

This is stupid.

If he were a SmartPhone he would be a BlackBerry; superior at communication, very reliable, isn't the prettiest (he called him self "funny looking" during his keynote speech) but has what really counts.

[rnaoncfixd]

I had been using a random assortment of phones before (from samsung to motorola to nokia to motorola and finally to a blackberry), and I personally feel that when I finally got my BB Pearl, the shock and awe of using it was great. I love the suretype and I don't think I'll ever go back to QWETY. But as the weeks went on, I realized I didn't get as good of a signal as I did on my Motorola phone before it and the track ball tended to get gummed up from time to time. I don't have access to a BB enterprise mail server so I can't really get my mail unless I get on the internet, which goes out quite frequently because of my lack of signal mentioned before.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is that according to you and relating that to information I know from my self, if Obama was a Blackberry, He'd be great at first and then we start realizing that past presidents connected better and his ball will get gummed up every once in a while.

Thus, leading us into an argument which should have been stated at the beginning of this article: What does this have to do with anything? No intelligent thought process came from this and I want my 10 minutes back.

[miberns]

I say he is like Windows Vista, Fancy on the outside Shallow on the inside

[miberns]

I say he is like Windows Vista, Fancy on the outside Shallow on the inside

[tombo77]

Windows Vista... Looks really good at first until it messes up and you have no choice but to reformat back to XP.

[sbwinn]

Definitely Vista. Launched with lots of hype. Has numerous problems that fan-boys dutifully ignore. Basically the same old thing with an updated presentation layer.

[ewsachse]

Then what is John McCain?

Cannot be a computer, since he admits he has no idea how to use a computer.

John McCain is two rusty tin cans connected by a piece of string.

[Perry_Clease]

The choices, my friend, should be:

1. Rotary dial phone
2. Central operator phone
3. Telegraph
4. Heliograph
5. Shouting

[menzer1013]

Way to make fun of a guy who was tortured, had his hands broken so many times that now he can't use a computer. Way to show off your intelligence.

[savvydude]

Obama? This one is too easy - he's a Zune. Nothing else.

[impulse2k1]

See McCain would be the baby first walkman. Its can take a beating and survie but yet the batteries in it won't last long.

Sara Palin is more facebook with the fact that her "news feed" are very public to everyone.

[gregsmith14]

calling him an iphone/jesus phone doesn't help him out much with his supposed messiah complex.

[Kwasiowusu]

Groan! Yet another over the top, shilling for The Messiah by the liberal media, huh?
Is Obama the iPhone?
Naaaaah.
That's just selling The One too short, old chap.
Obama is The One, aka The Messiah, aka Jesus Christ himself.
Hey Fried, why don't you simply resign and go work for the Obambi campiagn?
That way, at least you make it official, and you get paid for it too.
How's about it, then?

[Kwasiowusu]

ewsachse : "Cannot be a computer, since he admits he has no idea how to use a computer. John McCain is two rusty tin cans connected by a piece of string"

I'd much rather have a Top Gun, who's flown fighter jets under intense anti-aircraft fire from Soviet built Surface to Air Missiles, than a guy who can just open a browser or send emails, for president. Can Obambi fly fighter jets?
How many emails did George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and FDR send in their lifetimes?

[fleurya]

Yeah, because being able to fly directly translates to being able to run the country. Every disgruntled Delta pilot is fully qualified to be president and should run.

[MaggieRed]

Ina, you really need to lay off the bong.

How did the iPhone become the Jesus phone? That's dumb. He may be an iPhone but the iPhone isn't the Jesus phone.

[fleurya]

Can you find tech old enough to compare McCain to? The wheel maybe?

If something modern that doesn't have to be age appropriate, probably Windows Me: rehashed crap that is somehow worse than the previous version.

[Kwasiowusu]

"rehashed crap that is sormehow worse than the previous version. "

You mean like the 2 bit community organizer, who spent his time working in the corrupt Chicago Democratic Party machine, including helping ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) fill the electoral register with fake, fraudulent voters?

[Kwasiowusu]

fleurya : "Yeah, because being able to fly directly translates to being able to run the country"

Flying a fighter jet under intense enemy fire, being shot down, then tortured for 5 years, all in the service of your country, makes you a heck of a lot more qualified to be president then merely typing an email and clicking send.
The 2 are not even close. Not even on the same planet.

[kevsmail]

He's like the iPhone. All shiny and sleek with great presentation (no wonder - he was a lawyer & lecturer for 12 years!). No matter how many deficiencies or flaws or mistakes (crashes) are experienced, the converted faithful can justify every flaw with excuse after excuse, instead of just admitting a problem or flaw exists.

I think I phone is a good choice, it's sleek, it's hip, it's now, but the coverage sucks - don't try using it for making (dropping) phone calls. Vista would have to be the next best choice, pretty much for the same reasons - looks great, can't do much...

As far as McCain goes, maybe the wheel isn't so bad. It is one technology that has stood the test of time, it hasn't required significant upgrades, it's dependable, does what it is supposed to... Yeah, I like that.