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US Military Issuing iPod Touches To Soldiers

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the gi-pod dept.

644bd346996 writes "Newsweek has an article about the latest weapons in the US military's arsenal. The iPod Touch and the iPhone are being adapted as general purpose handhelds for soldiers in the field. 'Apple gadgets are proving to be surprisingly versatile. Software developers and the US Department of Defense are developing military software for iPods that enables soldiers to display aerial video from drones and have teleconferences with intelligence agents halfway across the globe. Snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan now use a "ballistics calculator" called BulletFlight, made by the Florida firm Knight's Armament for the iPod Touch and iPhone. Army researchers are developing applications to turn an iPod into a remote control for a bomb-disposal robot (tilting the iPod steers the robot). In Sudan, American military observers are using iPods to learn the appropriate etiquette for interacting with tribal leaders.'"

10 of 323 comments (clear)

  1. The real question is.... by Whiney+Mac+Fanboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The real question is: are the military funded applications sold through the Appstore? Or is the US army jail breaking their phones? Or is Apple providing the military special unlocked iPhones?

    Perhaps Apple should consider rerunning their 'think different' campaign - this time with a sniper rather than Ghandi.

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    There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
    1. Re:The real question is.... by Mr.+Roadkill · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The real question is: are the military funded applications sold through the Appstore? Or is the US army jail breaking their phones? Or is Apple providing the military special unlocked iPhones?

      Actually, I'd bet that Apple are providing the military with special phones that are locked to an "Apps Depot" where the military can make available special apps they've sanctioned. You don't want a piece of military hardware able to run any old dodgy thing sold through the app store, and you equally don't want the machine unlocked and potentially vulnerable when the soldiers install the latest piece of iPorn for Unlocked Phones that hits the bazaars. Remember the pirate DVDs/VCDs with viruses and rootkits and all kinds of other goodness on them that went through military laptops a while back?

    2. Re:The real question is.... by Old97 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I'm a Gandhi loving, walking and public transport (though a Prius would be O.K. if I had to drive), latte (no cream, please) sipping, Bush hating guy and I think this is great. I'm also an Army vet with an intel and law enforcement background. Did I mention that I'm also a big Obama supporter? Take your stereotypes and shove them where the sun don't shine (on your body).

      --
      Very often, people confuse simple with simplistic. The nuance is lost on most. - Clement Mok
    3. Re:The real question is.... by Old97 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I'm a Gandhi loving,

      There's not many who truly love Gandhi & respect his teachings who see militarisation of an entertainment device as 'great'.

      I don't see that as in consistent. I don't agree that Gandhi's approach works everywhere with everyone under all circumstances. His approach of passive resistance works best when confronting a nation of people who see themselves as civilized and decent so it worked against the British. Martin Luther King used Gandhi's approach in the U.S. and that worked well. If the Irish Catholics' resistance to Britain followed Gandhi instead of the IRA, the troubles would have ended sooner and more easily. If the Palestinians used Gandhi's approach against Israel instead of following the PLO there might now be one secular state where people of all denominations were equal.

      I don't think Gandhi would have been successful against Hitler or Stalin or Mao. They would have killed him and moved on. There is a time for fighting.

      --
      Very often, people confuse simple with simplistic. The nuance is lost on most. - Clement Mok
  2. Re:The EULA by 644bd346996 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I doubt that US law prohibits the military from developing missiles.

  3. Re:Great idea by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Do you understand the concept of 'disposable'? There won't be classified information on these things (that's on the network). When they break, you toss 'em. I don't have a link at the moment, but military personnel have been using consumer GPS units since the war broke out.

    A mil spec iPod would be too heavy to move without a Humvee and too expensive to give to anyone under the rank of Captain.

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    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  4. aren't those thing built in China? by atarione · · Score: 4, Insightful

    what could possibly go wrong?

    there have been stories about the Chinese sneaking counterfeit chips into military application some of which have made there way into military aircraft.

    using a consumer gadget built in china seems like a truly epically bad idea.

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  5. Why are they just doing this now? by d_jedi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    PDAs/Smartphones which have the desired functionality have existed for many years before the iPhone/iPod touch.
    And using C# with the .NET compact framework is much nicer than developing for the iPhone (background processes, yeah!)

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    I am the maverick of Slashdot
  6. Aren't these things made in china? by goombah99 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Apple has an enterprise program. You buy the $299 dev licence, and you can install to your own company/platoon/whatever's devices.

    That's interesting. Does it also allow you to lock it down so that only sanctioned apps can go on it, or so that only fully approved updates can be installed? They're the kind of features I'd be looking for if I had to approve the phone or touch for military applications.

    Well that sort of depends on what backdoors the chinese firmware creators left in.

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
  7. Parent has a point.... by SenseiLeNoir · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Although I have nothing wrong in general with items made in another country, I woudl think that military items should be created in the country within which it is issued. Take for example, the recent thing about spys infiltrating the national Grid.

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