Technology: Boston's mobile application

When I heard the news that Boston City Hall was rolling out a
application for the iPhone for city residents to take pictures and
report problems, I thought it was a great use of technology. Then,
after a few minutes of deeper thought about who would use the iPhone
application, I wondered if the City of Boston researched the number of
people living in Boston that have an iPhone?

I have no idea of what that number could potentially be, but I would
guesstimate that many of the complaints that Boston City Hall and the
complaint line receive are from older citizens who don't have or care
to buy an iPhone. So, what does this say about City Hall and the
spending of $25,000 on a mobile application that targets a presumed
small portion of the demographic living in the City of Boston? The
bottom line is that Mayor Menino is running for re-election and the
two 39-year old candidates looking to dethrone Menino have and will
continue to push that Menino is antiquated. Now, Menino can stick his
tongue out at the competition as if to say,"Who's not hip and in touch
with technology?".

Time and the use of the Citizen Connect iPhone application will tell
if the response time to remedy an issue is reduced or, better yet,
where the money will come from to fix that gapping hole on Stuart
Street in the Back Bay. That 'killer app' could be just that, a
'killer' of Menino's aspirations for retaining the throne!

Read the full article on Boston.com:
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/07/06/boston_to_debut_8216killer_app8217_for_municipal_complaints/