US military turning to iPod touch, iPhone
updated 11:30 am EDT, Mon April 20, 2009
US military goes iPod
The US armed forces are increasingly turning to iPod touches -- and iPhones, to a lesser extent -- in order to equip soldiers with multifunction handhelds, says Newsweek. Although neither Apple nor the military will comment on how many have been deployed, the devices are now being used for a variety of purposes. Beyond simple tasks such as mapping, translation, trajectory calculation and carrying video messages, photo apps are in development which could bring up intelligence on a given street, or submit suspect information to a biometric database.
More advanced plans include the ability to send or receive extremely sensitive communications, such as video from unmanned drones, or calls from spies in foreign countries. The US Army is in the process of developing a remote control app for bomb disposal robots, exploiting Apple's motion-sensing technology.
The motivation for using the Touch and the iPhone is said mainly to be cost. Whereas a Touch sells for $230 or less, depending on deals, proprietary military hardware can cost several times that amount. When equipped with protective casing, Apple handhelds are also said to be tough enough for military abuse. Another key point is said to be security, as while the devices have been unlocked and jailbroken, they have yet to fall victim to any major intrusions.
HA!
04/20, 11:52am reply
Suck on that Microsoft.
climacs
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2001
re: cost
04/20, 11:55am reply
proprietary military hardware can cost several times that amount.
that is the stone cold truth. Years ago I worked for a military contractor and I was sent to go look up and print out some milspecs. While looking for the specific ones I needed to find, I came across the milspecs for body bags (they had a euphemism for that of course, but I don't recall it now).
OMG it was pages and pages and pages and pages of specifications for a freakin' body bag. This is how you get $600 hammers and $1200 toilet seats. These things are written by bureaucrats. Imagine if somebody told you to write down - in excruciating, minute detail - how to drive from your house to your job. That's how these milspecs end up being a novel's worth of pages just for simple items like bodybags or cassette tapes.
climacs
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Sep 2001
Can't find on iTunes
04/20, 12:05pm (1 reply) reply
I am looking for the Military section in the App Store. I want to download the FLB (Frickn' Laser Beam) app. It's like the Flashlight app, except it's a frickn' laser beam!
brentrn
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Apr 2009
W2K
04/20, 02:17pm reply
I was on a Canadian battleship a couple of years ago, and noticed that a lot of the control room and operations equipment was running Windows 2000. I'd love a Windows 2000 emulator on my iPhone. W2K is so small, stable, and fast on today's hardware. I still use Windows 2000 in VMware at home to run a BitTorrent server and fulfil all my Windows needs.
MatildeMatilde
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Feb 2008
I hope the armed forces
04/20, 04:18pm reply
give an iPod Touch to every enlisted personnel in the service. That should help Apple sell a million or so more devices. They should make that as an incentive for signing up. Make it Army tough, iPod Touch tough.
iphonerulez
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Nov 2008
Canadian Battleship?
04/20, 05:49pm reply
Canada has never had a battleship.
msuper69
Mac Elite
Joined: Jan 2000
re: Canadian Battleships
04/21, 06:45am reply
I guess that this is incorrect then;
http://www.navy.forces.gc.ca/cms/1/1_eng.asp
snackhound
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Dec 2007
Yes Canadian Battleship
04/21, 10:51am reply
Canada had the third largest navy on the planet at the end of World War 2. I'm pretty sure that included a handful of battleships.
otherorange
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Joined: Apr 2009