iPhone App to "Bring the Rain" for US Military's Networked Warfare?
Newsweek is reporting that the iPod touch (and presumably the iPhone, as they run the same software) is replacing more expensive, government-contracted handhelds as the "networked warefare" mobile device of choice for the US Military. Not only do soldiers often already know how to use iPods and iPhones:
Apple gadgets are proving to be surprisingly versatile. Software developers and the U.S. 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.
So, does this mean we'll see full force iPhone hero shots in all the new Michael Bay movies from now on?
Editor-in-Chief of iMore, Executive Producer at Mobile Nations, co-host of Iterate and ZEN and TECH, cook, grappler, photon wrangler.
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I'm in the military, and trust me, our equipment is horrible!! We still use radios from when my dad was in back in '71. Using an iPhone is a great idea, just wait until the contractors come hunt them down though, won't be a pretty day.
Depends which branch you are in
I think Apple should remove/deny any apps which are being used to help kill people from the AppStore. I'm fine with the communications type apps though (provided it's now "I'm going to kill you and your family")
The idea of remotly killing someone with excellently made software and hardware while our warfighters come home safe is delightfully appealing. Better them dead then my kids.
A little off topic, but its easy to imagine these 'terrorists' are not people, but the fact remains, they are. Any time there is a loss of life, American or otherwise, we should be pained. Not just when the death affects us personally. I think apple using military apps that are involved in ending human lives is an absolute abomination and misuse of the technology that was meant to connect us.
Having said that, anyone in the military is more brave than i can ever be, so i have to hand it to them.
-justaboy