Whatever your views on President Obama, you can’t say he doesn’t use technology. On his visit to London for the gigantic G20 Summit, he brought modern gifts for the Prime Minister and the Queen.
Although his present for Prime Minister Gordon Brown was perhaps dubious – a collection of great American movies that might not actually play without a multi-region DVD player – he scored a hit with the Queen.
He presented her with a video iPod containing footage of her state visits to the US in 2007 and 1957, along with pictures and audio from his own inauguration and some of his speeches. But perhaps the real kicker was his inclusion of 40 Great Show Tunes, showing great research from his staff, as Her Majesty is a big fan of show tunes (adding in a manuscript autographed by Rodgers of Rodgers and Hammerstein probably didn’t hurt, either).
Perhaps surprisingly, this isn’t Queen Elizabeth’s first iPod – she acquired one in 2005. But now she has video on the go.