Government

Pentagon opening door to the iPhone, challenging BlackBerry dominance

By Joseph Keller, Monday, Oct 29, 2012 a 1:01 pm

The Pentagon will start issuing iPhones and Android devices, in addition to BlackBerrys, to its employees and military personnel. The Department of Defense will build out their system to prepare for 162,000 devices with the ability to accommodate up to 8 million phones and tablets should the need arise. RIM’s BlackBerry devices have long been used by the federal government, but as the use of iOS and Android devices rise, the Pentagon is looking to diversify, though they have no plans of dropping BlackBerry device support.

Tim Cook shmoozes with politicians around Washington

By Simon Sage, Tuesday, May 29, 2012 a 3:56 pm

Tim Cook recently been visited a bunch of politicians to open up the lanes of communication between Apple and Washington. Two weeks ago he visited House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

British parliament members all set to receive tax payer funded iPads

By chrisoldroyd, Wednesday, May 9, 2012 a 8:36 am

Every British member of parliament is going to receive an iPad and the British tax payer is set to pick up the bill. The iPad roll-out is part of a major ICT upgrade and follows the completion of a successful iPad trial. The House of Commons administration committee has recommended that the iPad is given to all 650 MPs.

Australia Parliament investigating why Apple's digital goods cost more down under

By Simon Sage, Monday, Apr 30, 2012 a 1:48 pm

The standing committee on infrastructure and communications in the Australian House of Representatives will be launching an investigation into why digital goods (such as iTunes music and iBooks) are priced so much more highly in Australia than elsewhere in the world. Traditionally, shipping costs drove prices up for physical goods, but for electronic files you're downloading, there's really no good reason for such a price disparity.

US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ditching BlackBerry in favor of iPhone and iPad

By Allyson Kazmucha, Thursday, Feb 9, 2012 a 10:58 pm

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will soon be ditching their BlackBerrys in favor of iPhones and iPads. They will continue to support the BlackBerry platform until May 12, 2012 according to a memo issues February 3rd.

Apple giving backdoor cellular access to Indian military?

By Allyson Kazmucha, Sunday, Jan 8, 2012 a 2:34 pm

According to a group of hackers in India, Apple, RIM and Nokia could be providing backdoor access to the Indian government, allowing them to monitor user data. The Indian government might be insisting on this access in exchange for allowing Apple and other smartphone vendors to offer their products and services in India, they have allegedly given them access to cellular communications. The agreement appears to be called RINOA (Rim, Nokia, Apple).

Indiana lawmakers consider adopting iPads

By Allyson Kazmucha, Wednesday, Sep 7, 2011 a 5:09 pm

Indiana lawmakers are now considering buying iPads for their 50 senators and 100 representatives. Many schools and government bodies have already implemented iPads to replace certain physical media such as textbooks.

Republican State Senator Brandt Hershman says he already uses an iPad for personal and business use and that it may allow for more transparency in the legislative process. It could also allow easier communication and response from local government.

More federal agencies choosing iPhone, iPad over Blackberry and traditional computing

By Andrew Wray, Wednesday, Jun 1, 2011 a 8:42 am

President Obama has started to relax some of the technology use policies within the government, as more and more federal workers have opted to use the iPhone and iPad in place of devices like the Blackberry and PC.

The flashy consumer products that have been adopted in the corporate workforce — upending BlackBerrys for iPhones, Microsoft Outlook for Gmail, and lately laptops for iPads — are now invading the federal government. The State Department. The Army. The Department of Veterans Affairs. NASA.

US Government Fears iPad, iPhone and Other Data Devices May Cripple Networks

By Jeremy, Thursday, Feb 4, 2010 a 10:12 am

The US Government seems to be a bit concerned about Apple's iPad, fearing its release in combination with the iPhone and other data-heavy devices, will wreak havoc on wireless networks.

Phil Bellaria of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau recently published in his blog his concerns about the future of our data networks.

blockquote>"With the iPad pointing to even greater demand for mobile broadband on the horizon, we must ensure that network congestion doesn’t choke off a service that consumers clearly find so appealing or frustrate mobile broadband’s ability to keep us competitive in the global broadband economy."

Washington: You, Storm, are no iPhone!

By Rene Ritchie, Monday, Mar 9, 2009 a 6:27 am

We're not sure if picking on the BlackBerry Storm is even sporting anymore, and you know, we probably wouldn't even bother if RIM hadn't styled it the "Apple Killer" even while bleating that they "couldn't type on glass". Well, according to BlackBerryCool.com, it turns out some other people couldn't type on the Storm's specific type of glass either: the US Government: