Sure, the US Army could continue to develop expensive proprietary gadgets for use in the field, or they could make the switch to (relatively) inexpensive off-the-shelf smartphones. It's a change that's been considered for some time, and the Army is now at the tail end of a six-week trial of more than 300 Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone devices for military use. The results have been promising, according to program director Michael McCarthy, stating that younger soldiers who grew up with smartphones and handhelds are very comfortable using them for military purposes.

Soldiers in the field can text GPS coordinates, send pictures of their surroundings, or file common reports directly from their phone. Despite positive results, the Army still has some hurdles to jump before taking the plunge -- some of the phones had OS bugs, others (specifically, iPhones running on AT&T) couldn't get signal in the New Mexico and Texas testing areas, and none of the devices were secure enough for use in overseas operations. The Army is considering tying the phones to tactical radios to help encrypt transmissions, and are testing self contained "cell tower in a suitcase" equipment to ensure coverage in sensitive locations. The Military hopes to push out limited deployment this year, and Army program director Ed Mazzanti has stated that they expect to select two mobile operating systems for official use, noting that "iPhone and Android have been very well received." Sure, using multiple platforms may help protect soldiers against cyber attacks, but we can't be the only ones worried the Army is unintentionally breeding a generation of fanboys with guns, can we?

US Army runs smartphone trial, could see 'limited deployment' later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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148Apps is conducting a series of interviews with major iOS developers, and Rob Murray of Firemint is their latest target, with a few thoughts on the future directions of the games he's developing. Murray says mobile gaming isn't growing up into desktop technology -- it's the other way around. The technology we now use on the desktop will soon just be found right in handheld computers, according to Murray. "People will choose the mobile because it's convenient, portable, and it's personal."

That puts Firemint, developer of mobile apps and innovation around mobile interfaces, in a good place, of course. But Murray doesn't mean that we'll only be using iPads and iPhones in the future, just that the hardware they'll interact with will grow thinner and thinner. As a developer, however, Murray isn't quite there yet -- he uses a MacBook Pro with both Windows and OS X on it.

Finally, Murry fits in a plug for the upcoming Spy Mouse title, which is his job, of course, but it does look like it'll be fun (and Firemint clearly knows how to make successful iOS games). Interesting, if a little short, chat with the Firemint CEO.

Firemint's Rob Murray on blurring the line between desktop and tablet originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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