High-end smartphones for U.S. Army and that's Android based

US Army has chosen to empower itself with powerful smartphones based on Android. The prototype device to be used, called the Joint Battle Command-Platform (JBC-P Handheld) developed by tech nonprofit MITRE, is undergoing several tests.

As per tech experts, this platform will allow soldiers to quickly and (hopefully) securely share geo-tagged notes about obstacles they encounter on the ground. It will also support mapping, critical messaging and other support functions. JBC-P Handheld is an Android-based smartphone framework and suite of applications for tactical operations which will be secure and interoperable with existing mission command systems so information flows seamlessly across all echelons of the force.

Development will be ON once the Army releases the development kit for this platform. They specially need applications that share data and resources across the platform, to avoid the stovepiping problems that have plagued so many military and government information technology projects. The key objective is to integrate the whole system eliminate all communication barrier.

Battery technology and power management have been big problems for commercial smartphones. Bright displays (often necessary in full daylight) and GPS are notorious energy vampires that leave many smartphone owners hunting for outlets on a daily basis. No doubt, military phones will need far more power than these models to operate for longer periods. Military smartphones should also be far more rugged than commercial models, able to withstand sand, dust, water, temperature extremes, impact, concussion and more. Microphones that don't get destroyed by loud blasts will be crucial, as will noise filtering for incoming and outgoing audio (something most commercial smartphones generally do poorly).

With all such features, it will be interesting to see how this high-built smartphone fulfills all military needs.