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View Full Version : US Army Considers a Smartphone For Every Soldier




Matt Collins
12-19-2010, 06:49 PM
"The US Army is seriously considering the idea of issuing a smartphone to every soldier (http://mobile.blorge.com/2010/12/14/us-army-smartphone-war-draws-closer/), and they're already modernizing one Texas brigade 'through a range of electronic devices that will include not just smartphones but tablet devices, e-reader and mini-projectors.' The company that developed Patriot missiles has already created several dedicated military apps for both iPhone and Android phones, including one that allows soldiers to track colleague's locations on the battlefield. Interestingly, the army is likely to use an off-the-shelf model, heightening the war between Apple and Android phones. Apple's non-replaceable batteries may become an issue in the field, since 'plugging the phone in to recharge isn't always a viable option in the middle of combat.'"


SOURCE:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/12/19/2322237/US-Army-Considers-a-Smartphone-For-Every-Soldier?from=rss

lynnf
12-19-2010, 08:31 PM
"The US Army is seriously considering the idea of issuing a smartphone to every soldier (http://mobile.blorge.com/2010/12/14/us-army-smartphone-war-draws-closer/), and they're already modernizing one Texas brigade 'through a range of electronic devices that will include not just smartphones but tablet devices, e-reader and mini-projectors.' The company that developed Patriot missiles has already created several dedicated military apps for both iPhone and Android phones, including one that allows soldiers to track colleague's locations on the battlefield. Interestingly, the army is likely to use an off-the-shelf model, heightening the war between Apple and Android phones. Apple's non-replaceable batteries may become an issue in the field, since 'plugging the phone in to recharge isn't always a viable option in the middle of combat.'"


SOURCE:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/12/19/2322237/US-Army-Considers-a-Smartphone-For-Every-Soldier?from=rss


DROID!!!!!

lynn

Agorism
12-19-2010, 08:32 PM
Well they need to be able to play angry birds on something.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNNzRyd1xz0

Monarchist
12-19-2010, 08:35 PM
Why the thumbs down?

Matt Collins
12-19-2010, 08:56 PM
Why the thumbs down?
Sounds like a waste of money to me.

RideTheDirt
12-19-2010, 08:58 PM
Why the thumbs down?
Is this post a joke?

SamuraisWisdom
12-19-2010, 09:00 PM
Sounds like a waste of money to me.

Tell that to the lieutenant in the battlefield trying to keep track of his platoon. Being able to know where your allies are during combat at all times would be a huge advantage during a fight.

Monarchist
12-19-2010, 09:03 PM
Sounds like a waste of money to me.


Is this post a joke?

I'm sure that if they create apps that circumvent the creation of 10-mile-long paper trails that contain countless individuals' SSNs, it'll save much more on paper and potential identity fraud than was spent. Besides, the military is likely already considering contracting for RnD for devices that do similar things to the iPhone or Droid; why spend that money when the technology is readily available at the AT&T stand in the mall?

PreDeadMan
12-19-2010, 09:18 PM
a smarthpone for every soldier..ok that's fine just don't steal my money to fund it!...... don't steal my money to fund wars or immoral conflicts or a standing army... oh to bad.... you live here you have to pay for shit you don't want because it's for the good of everyone!... fuck that bullshit so i should be able to kidnap government employees and drive them in their cars to a store and force them to buy stuff they don't want and then drive them back and say oh well you live here!... see how the morality switch shuts off when you put GOVERNMENT into the equation?

SamuraisWisdom
12-19-2010, 09:34 PM
a smarthpone for every soldier..ok that's fine just don't steal my money to fund it!...... don't steal my money to fund wars or immoral conflicts or a standing army... oh to bad.... you live here you have to pay for shit you don't want because it's for the good of everyone!... fuck that bullshit so i should be able to kidnap government employees and drive them in their cars to a store and force them to buy stuff they don't want and then drive them back and say oh well you live here!... see how the morality switch shuts off when you put GOVERNMENT into the equation?

Your tax dollars pay for the army. So if they want to use those tax dollars to fund an effort to give smart phones to soldiers to make them more efficient then so be it.

Vessol
12-19-2010, 10:14 PM
Got to blow up a bunch of terrorists? There's an app for that!

Disclaimer: We are not responsible for any innocent civilians or children that are collateral damage

heavenlyboy34
12-19-2010, 10:17 PM
"The US Army is seriously considering the idea of issuing a smartphone to every soldier (http://mobile.blorge.com/2010/12/14/us-army-smartphone-war-draws-closer/), and they're already modernizing one Texas brigade 'through a range of electronic devices that will include not just smartphones but tablet devices, e-reader and mini-projectors.' The company that developed Patriot missiles has already created several dedicated military apps for both iPhone and Android phones, including one that allows soldiers to track colleague's locations on the battlefield. Interestingly, the army is likely to use an off-the-shelf model, heightening the war between Apple and Android phones. Apple's non-replaceable batteries may become an issue in the field, since 'plugging the phone in to recharge isn't always a viable option in the middle of combat.'"


SOURCE:
http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/10/12/19/2322237/US-Army-Considers-a-Smartphone-For-Every-Soldier?from=rss


/facepalm @ military fascism.

heavenlyboy34
12-19-2010, 10:21 PM
Tell that to the lieutenant in the battlefield trying to keep track of his platoon. Being able to know where your allies are during combat at all times would be a huge advantage during a fight.

So, they haven't learned how to do this for the 200 years the armed forces have existed? If not, no amount of gizmos and tech toys will help them. Waste of money anyways. Have you ever heard of Planned Obsolescence? These devices will be out of date in a few years. By then, they can be bought for a fraction of their current cost. Wait till then if they are actually needed, but ideally not at all.

SamuraisWisdom
12-19-2010, 10:35 PM
So, they haven't learned how to do this for the 200 years the armed forces have existed? If not, no amount of gizmos and tech toys will help them. Waste of money anyways. Have you ever heard of Planned Obsolescence? These devices will be out of date in a few years. By then, they can be bought for a fraction of their current cost. Wait till then if they are actually needed, but ideally not at all.

Believe it or not, not everything goes according to plan when in a firefight. If soldiers get thrown off their planned course it would be real handy for an officer to be able to get that information as quickly as possible.

roho76
12-19-2010, 10:36 PM
I would prefer to implant a chip in their skulls. It's cheap enough, you can't play Angry Birds on my dime, and maybe it will deter them from joining.

pcosmar
12-19-2010, 10:56 PM
Tell that to the lieutenant in the battlefield trying to keep track of his platoon. Being able to know where your allies are during combat at all times would be a huge advantage during a fight.

I was thinking the same thing. It will be nice to keep track of where they all are.
A simple radio direction finder should do nicely.
;)

Matt Collins
12-20-2010, 12:03 AM
One thing this article does show is that the (quasi) free-market is better at creating tools than the government is proven by the fact that the military is seeking pre-existing and fully developed technology.

Vessol
12-20-2010, 12:14 AM
Lets just hope that they actually TRY to encrypt the data that is sending REAL TIME INFORMATION OF TROOP LOCATIONS TO AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE.

Considering the U.S Militaries past record of complete incompetence on security matters, I'd think this would be more of a hazard to soldiers than a help.

Fox McCloud
12-20-2010, 12:17 AM
Your tax dollars pay for the army. So if they want to use those tax dollars to fund an effort to give smart phones to soldiers to make them more efficient then so be it.

it depends on if it will cost additional money or not--if it does, then most here will oppose it. If it is just using already existing funds, or pulling it away from some other equally useless pet project, the most here will probably be indifferent.

jtstellar
12-20-2010, 10:40 AM
ugh why is there any voice in support of this

this is spending

we are in debt

end of story

cut his pork but not mine? way to go fellow libertarians

are we being invaded this badly that we need "smart phones" to save us, that this constitutes of *Defense spending? ya, i didn't think so either

pcosmar
12-20-2010, 10:48 AM
ugh why is there any voice in support of this

this is spending

we are in debt

end of story

cut his pork but not mine? way to go fellow libertarians

are we being invaded this badly that we need "smart phones" to save us, that this constitutes of *Defense spending? ya, i didn't think so either

Perhaps you missed my point.
Yes it is incredibly stupid.
But from a position of home defense it is good to know where the intruders are.

gls
12-20-2010, 10:52 AM
This sounds like a huge security risk. What if it gets into enemy hands? Even if it is password-protected a captured soldier could be tortured for the information.

pcosmar
12-20-2010, 10:59 AM
This sounds like a huge security risk. What if it gets into enemy hands? Even if it is password-protected a captured soldier could be tortured for the information.

Even if the information transmitted is secure, the signal is not.
It puts a homing device on every soldier.

Should be easy to target that way.

smithtg
12-20-2010, 01:00 PM
ugh why is there any voice in support of this

this is spending

we are in debt

end of story

cut his pork but not mine? way to go fellow libertarians

are we being invaded this badly that we need "smart phones" to save us, that this constitutes of *Defense spending? ya, i didn't think so either

sounds like a phone company lobbyist has been working the pentagon pretty hard eh?

these type of deals have nothing to do with helping anyone, they always start at the corporate level

dannno
12-20-2010, 04:30 PM
I wish they had the scene from Weeds on youtube where Andy is using his smart phone/geo-locator missile target identifier to take videos of his partner lighting his fart on fire just as the missle is coming in...

Here's a related scene from before that incident that is pretty funny:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsSoDSGl8v8