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iPhone vs. Android Battle Goes To Afghanistan

Posted by Soulskill on from the no-blood-for-apps dept.

redlined writes "Cell phones are tired of waiting for the troops to come home and are going to war themselves. Tech startup Berico Tailored Systems, Lockheed Martin and apparently an army of Slashdot users are currently making tactical 3G cellular networks and smartphone applications for the military to use overseas. While DARPA has held a competition to develop iPhone and Android applications, tactically-deployable 3G networks from companies like those above should open up a slew of opportunities for Apple and Google to duke it out on an actual battlefield."

3 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Android by XPeter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    For a few key reasons:

    1. Swappable battery without sending the phone back to Apple.
    2. Open development
    3. Custom ROMs

    --
    "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has it's limits" - Albert Einstein
    1. Re:Android by spyder-implee · · Score: 5, Insightful

      1. Actually a removable battery is very important and you have completely missed the operational reason. Soldiers carry a bunch of equipment which use batteries (NVG's, LRF's, NAD's, Radio's, Illuminated sights, not to mention simple things like torches etc...) and it's important they all (where possible) use the same type of batteries. Simply put, if the battery in my Night Vision Goggles die and I have run out of spares, I want to swap the battery from my phone into my NVG, since it's more critical piece of equipment for my current task. Soldiers are entirely capable of keeping their kit free of dust & grime (I'm capable of stripping down an m4 to the ejector claw without getting dust through it, why wouldn't I be able to manage a phone?)

      --
      Take what ye can. Give nothing back!
  2. Outsourcing by cosm · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So we're outsourcing our flame wars now as well?

    --
    'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF