Monitoring America’s nuclear stockpiles is vital but mind-numbingly dull work. So rather than rely on easily distracted human guards, the storage facilities at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) are now being watched by the unblinking eyes of a mobile robotic patrol fleet.
     |
Some good news for the phone makers in Waterloo: the US Defense Information System Agency is OK-ing BlackBerry’s first two BB10 handsets for use on Department of Defense networks, confirming that the phones have all the necessary security measures in place. With the governmental go-ahead, the DISA’s building out an infrastructure to support 10,000 Q10 and Z10 handsets by fall — a number expected to triple by year’s end. More info on the approval after the break, including some understated gloating from BlackBerry.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Earlier this month, we heard reports both Samsung Galaxy and iOS devices were in the process of being approved to be used by the U.S. Department of Defense. Soon after that report, we heard both BlackBerry and Samsung devices were approved, […]
Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It Original content from Ubergizmo. 
| |
The average consumer may be able to thumb through FCC filings to get a peek at their next smartphone, but certain government employee’s hopes lie in the hands of another agency: the US Department of Defense. Good news for federally employed BlackBerry fans, then — the company just announced that BlackBerry 10 smartphones and PlayBook tablets running Enterprise Service 10 have been added to the Defense Information Systems Agency’s approved product list. Finally, DoD employees can toss out that aging BB7 handset and pick up a modern OS. Check out the company’s official statement after the break.
Filed under: Mobile
Via: nerdberry
Source: BlackBerry
It seems the British government aren’t the only ones who think BlackBerry doesn’t live up to their standards as the US government may also be ditching BlackBerry.
With the BlackBerry Z10 expected to launch on AT&T tomorrow and T-Mobile next week, the US Department of Defense has reportedly ordered 650,000 Apple devices as part of its mobile device testing program. The order will give the department 120,000 iPads, 100,000 iPad minis, 200,000 iPod Touches and approximately 210,000 iPhones, which we’re sure won’t be coming out of tax payers wallets. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: US Department Of Defense Reportedly Planning On Buying 650,000 iOS Devices, Apple Patent Describes A Method To Prevent Your Phone From Falling Display First, 
Smartphones may be invading pockets and purses across the world, but AOptix may soon bring those mobile devices to some far-flung war zones. The Campbell, Calif.-based company announced earlier today that it (along with government-centric IT partner CACI) nabbed a $3 million research contract from the U.S. Department of Defense to bring its “Smart Mobile Identity” concept to fruition.
The company kept coy about what that actually means in its release, but Wired has the full story — the big goal is o create an accessory of sorts capable of attaching to a commercially-available smartphone that can capture high-quality biometric data— think a subject’s thumb prints, face/eye scans, and voice recordings.
At first glance, it really doesn’t sound like that tall an order — smartphones are substantially more powerful than they were just a few years ago, and that’s the sort of trend that isn’t going to be bucked anytime soon. That continual improvement in terms of horsepower certainly can’t hurt considering how much data the smartphone+sensor combo is going to have to continually collect and transmit, and the company confirmed to Wired that the end product will feature an “intuitive interface” that should ensure that any soldier who’s owned a modern phone should be able to pick it up very quickly.
AOptix hasn’t publicly committed to one mobile platform over another just yet, but building a sensor device to interface with an Android device seems to be likely option at this point. After all, the U.S. Department of Defense is no stranger to Google’s mobile OS — it gave Dell’s rather awful Streak 5 tablet the go-ahead for governmental use back in late 2011. More recent reports have shown that the DoD is has also responded favorably to the notion of iPhones being used around the Pentagon, but I suspect that acquiring a fleet of Android devices for use in the field wouldn’t be quite as expensive as buying iDevices en masse. Couple the cost-argument with the highly open nature of Android development (something that could come in handy when crafting the sort of software necessary to power this whole thing).
If the notion of the DoD moving to embrace consumer tech is a little surprising though, you may just have to get used to it. Deputy CIO Major General Robert Wheeler noted in an address at this year’s CTIA MobileCon that the Defense Department’s mobile strategy involves sourcing innovative, mass-market solutions to existing issues so expect to hear more of these sorts of deals in the months and years to come.
Despite some launch hiccups with Windows 8 and its related devices, Microsoft has received a smashing bit of news in the form of a new $617 million licensing agreement that will bring the fledgeling OS to 75 percent of US DoD personnel. The deal also includes Office 2013 and Sharepoint 2013 Enterprise, and will let users access the software “from any location, and any supported device, while taking advantage of enhanced security,” according to Redmond. Microsoft added that the agreement was “the most comprehensive” it’s ever signed with the sprawling government arm, which plans to use the software for a wide range of priorities from cybersecurity to mobility. Meanwhile, the software giant is working to achieve the coveted, though highly unwieldy-sounding “Army Golden Master and Air Force Standard Desktop Configuration” compliance for Windows 8 — which we imagine is a good thing, and hope to never have to type out again. To reconnoiter further, check the sources below.
Filed under: Software, Microsoft
Source: US Department of Defense, Microsoft
Smartphones: the future of wartime communication? That is the goal of the US Army through the development of its portable wireless network, dubbed Warfighter Information Network-Tactical or WIN-T. The Army hopes to leverage WIN-T to bring near-instant digital communication to the battlefield by outfitting soldiers with Motorola Atrix handsets running a heavily modified version of Android. An exposé by Wired explains that the system’s main goal is information and intelligence sharing; between both soldiers and central command. Friendly troop positions, suspicious vehicles or persons and surveillance video from unmanned areal vehicles (UAVs) can all be mapped and shared with servicemen and women in the field. It’s been a dream of the Pentagon since the mid-nineties, but has only recently become monetarily and technologically feasible due to advances in smartphone processing power. It’s nerdy, it’s fascinating… and this is the stuff the Army is willing to talk about. Hit the source link for the full write-up.
Android Army: US soldiers to leverage portable battlefield network and smartphones originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 30 Jun 2012 01:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | 
Wired | Email this | Comments
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
