The White House ‘in the palm of your hand’

The White House relaunched its mobile program Tuesday, redesigning Whitehouse.gov’s mobile website and adding features to its iPhone and Android applications.

New features to its mobile apps include an updated design, screen alerts for live events and a new search feature. For the first time, the apps are now fully compatible with the iPad and Android tablets. The mobile website includes 99 percent of the standard site’s content.

Additional app features include a save to favorites option, as well as high-resolution photos tailored for viewing on the iPad’s retina display.

The White House announced the updates because more people are viewing its Web content through mobile devices. Fifteen percent of Whitehouse.gov’s visitors access the site through mobile devices.

The Obama administration also made the apps’ source code available to anyone “from civic hackers and local organizations to federal agencies” through GitHub .

In a video to promote the relaunch, the White House boasted the app “puts 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in the palm of your hand.”