As election season kicks into high gear, both candidates are coming to understand the importance of using social media and technology to further their political goals, even though potential applications of these services in politics are still coming to light. Both the President Barack Obama and his challenger, Mitt Romney, have their own strategies regarding the way they handle internet use, but the candidates are likely to agree that it is more important than ever to make a presidential race high-tech.

Last week, the Mitt Romney campaign, which has been out-fundraising Obama all summer, launched a new initiative, one that will use smartphones along with accessories from the mobile payment processing system Square, to help canvassers take small donations more quickly.

Not to be outdone, the Obama campaign announced that it would begin accepting donations via text message.

While each candidate has a Facebook page, blog and Twitter account, Obama's strategy appears to be more active than Romney's. The president is outposting him on these outlets with nearly four times as much content, according to politics analysis website The Hill.

In keeping with his active social media strategy, on the evening of August 29, Obama took a break from campaigning in person to put in some time online. He made use of the Ask Me Anything (AMA) feature on social bookmarking site Reddit, surprising its users with the opportunity to dialogue directly. The AMA lasted only a half hour, but people all over the country were able to log onto their Apple Macbook Air or Sony Vaio and ask President Obama questions such as what his most difficult decision has been since taking office.

The digital age also means that voters are getting even more of their information online. So no matter who you're thinking of voting for, stay up-to-date on news from the election with a device from PortableOne. We have a great selection of laptops, tablets and ultrabook perfect for staying in the political loop.