As the competition between smartphones based on Google's Android mobile operating system and Apple's iOS-powered iPhones rages on, a unit of the United States military has made the decision to choose one platform over the other.
In a report by Military.com's DoDBuzz, it was revealed that the Special Operations Command unit of the United States Army has decided to switch from the Android smartphones used in its Tactical Assault Kits to iPhones, according to a source within the Army who is not authorized to communicate with the media.
The Army unit has chosen the iPhone 6s to become the end-user device for the iPhone Tactical Assault Kit, which is replacing the Android Tactical Assault Kit. The iTAC and the ATAC are versions of the battlefield situational awareness tool, known as Nett Warrior, for the special operations forces of the Army.
According to the source, the iPhone is faster and smoother than the Android smartphone previously being used, which is believed to be a Samsung Galaxy Note device, though it is unclear which exact version of Android and which specific Galaxy Note device is involved. The Android smartphone is prone to freezing and required to be restarted very often, with the issues particularly noticeable whenever users would want live feeds from unmanned aerial systems such as the Instant Eye, the source added.
Whenever users would attempt to run a split screen that shows routes and the feed from the unmanned aerial system, the Android device would freeze and then fail to properly refresh, often requiring a restart to once again become operational.
The source said that having to restart the Android phone is a waste of valuable minutes. The issue, meanwhile, is not experienced when using the iPhone 6s, with the function seamless on the Apple smartphone with clear graphics.
Having a device that is capable of functioning well with the system is crucial. The Nett Warrior, along with ATAC and the soon-to-come iTAC, is made up of a smartphone that is linked to a networked radio. Through the system, leaders of small units are able to keep track of the locations of their team on a digital map. The system is also created to help the leaders in accessing surveillance, intelligence and reconnaissance sensor feeds, such as the aforementioned live video feeds from unmanned aerial systems.
If the Android smartphone being replaced is the original Samsung Galaxy Note from 2010, then the switch to a more modern device such as the iPhone 6s is long overdue. It would be interesting to know more about the issue if the device being replaced is a more recent Galaxy Note, however.
The military has become more heavily invested in technology over the past years, with most of the developments being made through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency under the United States Department of Defense. Projects which recently made the news include a $7.5 million grant for the development of implantable biosensors that can measure multiple body chemistries of soldiers and the upcoming release of a mind-controlled bionic arm that carries the same name as Star Wars' Luke Skywalker.
