CPAC available on your iPhone

Republicans unable to make it to the nation's Capitol for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) shouldn't fret too much: they'll be able to participate via iPhone.

Two tech firms -- Purple Forge and Raise Digital -- are offering GOP politicos a free iPhone app this week, available via Apple's iTunes store. The software allows iPhone users to connect to the conference virtually -- to watch videos of speeches, read bios of the speakers themselves, follow other users' Twitter streams and answer surveys about the conference.

Users will have to register in order to participate, and linking the app to one's Twitter account or Facebook page also requires a bit of tinkering. But the app nonetheless offers CPAC fans an unprecedented opportunity to follow the action from afar.