An App That Pinpoints Where A Sniper Is Located

The app being tested: It can pinpoint the location of a gunman simply by analysing the sound of a gunshot

The App That Can Tell You EXACTLY Where A Gunman Is Just By Listening To A Bullet Being Fired -- Daily Mail

* System uses microphones and other sensors in smartphone to pinpoint location
* Additional microphones housed in a box the size of a pack of playing cards
* Head-mounted version set to be developed for police and soldiers

An app that can pinpoint a gunman's location simply by analysing the sound and shockwaves from a gunshot have been revealed by US researchers.

The Android app can show a map of exactly where the gunman is located, and is expected to be developed for military and police use in the war on terror.

Experts at Vanderbilt University can replicate systems that cost millions of pounds are are so large they have to be installed in vehicles.

The new version, however, simply requires a smartphone and a small box around the size of a deck of cards containing highly sensitive microphones and shockwave sensors.

The team say it could be initially used to protect VIPs.

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My Comment: I expect this to be standard for the military very soon.

No Aple App For Syria

There's No App For Syria -- Michael Peck

Why did Apple ban a game on the Syrian civil war?

The idea seemed laudable. Create a computer game app on the Syrian civil war that is simple enough for the general public to learn a bit about a complex conflict. Thus was born Endgame: Syria -- which puts the player in command of the Syrian rebels as they battle to overthrow Bashar al-Assad's regime. It runs on Android tablets, and it will soon be available on the Apple app store, promises British publisher Auroch Digital.

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My Comment: A surprising ruling from Apple .... especially since there are scores of violent games in their app store. I guess the issue of Syria is too sensitive for some in Apple, and prefer it to be swept under the table. On a side note ..... Steve Job's biological father was Syrian.

App Helps Israelis Track Missile Fire

My Comment: This is smart .... and a sign of the times.

Satellites Are Snapping Images That Can No Longer Be Hidden In Secret

A model of Osama bin Laden’s compound, found on Bing. Photo: Microsoft

Apple, Bing Maps Reveal Secret Sites -- Danger Room

A top-secret base in Taiwan, revealed on Apple Maps. The Navy SEALs’ rehearsal site for the Osama bin Laden raid, found on Bing. Once again, commercial satellites have snapped images of things that governments would rather hide from public view. And once again, those governments are finding that there’s not much they can do once this sensitive imagery ends up online.

The big technology companies and their mapping apps have been turning generals red-faced for the better part of a decade by posting on the net pictures of sensitive locations. Back in 2009, the Pakistani press blew the lid off of the U.S. drone campaign there by publishing Google Earth pictures of a local airbase — with American Predators parked on the runway. This summer, orbital images appeared online of a stealthy and previously undisclosed robotic aircraft at Lockheed Martin’s “Skunkworks” facility.

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My Comment: Some are now debating on whether satellite map data be uncensored for all to enjoy. I say yes .... because such technology also reveals conditions on the ground like this .... or this .... or .... you get the picture.

Taiwan Wants Apple To Blur Some Images On Their New Maps Aps

Part of Hsinchu in Taiwan on Apple's maps - Apple has been asked to removed imagery of a secret base in the area.

The Map That Apple HAS To Make Blurred: Taiwanese Government Complains New Maps App Is revealing Military Secrets -- Daily Mail

* US bases also appear on the service in high resolution
* Google has 'muzzed' or distorted military installations

After facing huge criticism for blurred maps, Apple has received an unusual request - to make its maps MORE blurry.

The technology giant came under fire for the poor quality of its maps after users found missing locations, areas obscured by cloud and even distorted bridges and roads.

However, Taiwanese officials found the maps too accurate - and have asked Apple to blur satellite images of sensitive military installations which are freely available to iPhone 5 users.

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More News On Taiwan Wanting Apple To Blur Some Images On Their New Maps Aps

Taiwan to ask Apple to blur satellite images of top-secret base available on iPhone 5 -- New York Post/AFP
Taiwan Wants Apple to Blur Military Base on iOS 6 Maps -- PC Mag
Taiwan Blames Apple Maps For Revealing Its $1.2 Billion Top-Secret Radar Base -- Business Insider
Taiwan to Apple: blur our secret missile base from maps app -- Wired
Apple Maps outs secret military site, irks Taiwan -- CNet
Taiwan wants Apple to blur sensitive military images -- ZDNet
Apple Maps Accidentally Outs Secret Military Base in Taiwan -- Slate
iOS 6 Problems: Apple Maps Accidentally Reveals Secret Taiwan Base -- IBTimes

A Cyberterrorism Social Media App

Source: New York Times.

A New Social Media App: Cyberterrorism -- Threat Matrix

Pakistan is not normally noted as a high-tech innovator. Nevertheless, Pakistani and Bangladeshi terrorist groups have developed a new application for social media: Cyberterrorism.

The story begins in the northeastern Indian state of Assam.

A local communal conflict turns into a countrywide panic

Conflict over the control of land, immigration, and political power between the indigenous Bodos tribe in the northeastern Indian state of Assam and Muslim settlers from neighboring Bangladesh exploded in violence in July and early August. An escalating cycle of violence soon resulted in the looting and burning of entire villages. The Bodos said illegal Muslim immigrants from Bangladesh were streaming into the state and taking over vacant land. Muslims said the Bodo wanted to drive out Muslim residents. 78 people had been killed in the conflict, 14,000 homes had been burned, and 300,000 people became refugees.

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My Comment: A clear cut case on the power of social media .... and in India of all places.

Taking Apps To War

During a battle in a village near Kandahar, Afghanistan, Lt. Kevin Pelletier used a tablet computer with a custom map application to direct soldiers' movements. Here, a screenshot from one of the military's apps. Darpa

Military Takes Apps To War -- Wall Street Journal

Soldiers Use Mobile Devices for Mapping, Networking, Virtual Lineups.

Leading his platoon on a mission to clear a hostile village in Afghanistan last year, U.S. Army Lt. Kevin Pelletier took a small tablet computer along with his gun, body armor and radio.

The hardened version of the five-inch Dell Streak developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency contained a custom application with Google-like maps based on satellite images. Lt. Pelletier used it to update the precise location of fellow soldiers engaged in a fight with two dozen insurgents.

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My Comment: The Russian military is also getting involved in this technology .... minus the apps for now.

Apple Rejects An App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

Information about drone strikes was used both in an article in the Guardian’s app, left, and in an app created by a graduate student at New York University. New York Times

Apple Rejects App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes -- Danger Room

It seemed like a simple enough idea for an iPhone app: Send users a pop-up notice whenever a flying robots kills someone in one of America’s many undeclared wars. But Apple keeps blocking the Drones+ program from its App Store — and therefore, from iPhones everywhere. The Cupertino company says the content is “objectionable and crude,” according to Apple’s latest rejection letter.

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More News On Apple Rejecting An App That Tracks U.S. Drone Strikes

Apple rejects Drones+, app to track U.S. drone strikes -- Washington Post
Apple Rejects App Tracking Drone Strikes -- New York Times
Apple again rejects app that tracks U.S. drone attacks -- L.A. Times
Apple blocks 'objectionable' app that reports deaths from US drone strikes -- The Guardian
Apple rejects app for tracking U.S. drone strikes -- CNet
Apple App Store Turns Down Controversial App That Tracks US Drone Strikes (VIDEO) -- IBTimes
Apple repeatedly rejects 'drone strike tracking' app from the App Store -- Examiner
Apple bans drone-awareness iPhone app -- RT
Apple Rejected the Drone Tracker App Because it Could -- Atlantic Wire

Korea Militarizes Samsung's Smartphone Apps

Korea Militarizes Samsung Smartphone Apps -- Tech Eye

Invade the North? There's an app for that

South Korea has been developing battlefield applications for Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S and other Android-based smartphones.

According to the Korea Times, nine apps have been completed with more coming.

The big idea is that the Koreans want to use smartphones in military operations and since it has a big smartphone maker close it thought it would use it.

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My Comment: Expect even more apps with a military concept in the near future.

An App To Teach Marines Martial Arts

The "Semper Fu" app, available for Android smartphones, is a free download that gives users access to illustrative instructions from the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. (Mike Morones/Staff)

‘Semper Fu’ Android App Teaches Marines Martial Arts (Plus Eye Gauging And Knife Fighting) -- Military Times

Marine Corps Times writer Gina Harkin writes this week about an app that’ll teach you eye gauging and blood chokes. Enough said.

Gina writes:

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My Comment: Cool ...

iPads Now Find Themselves On The Frontlines

Marine Capt. Jim Carlson uses an iPad while sitting in his Super Cobra attack helicopter at Camp Pendleton. The use of this and other smart devices is raising cyber-security concerns among military strategists. (Don Bartletti, Los Angeles Times / September 26, 2011)

Taking iPads Into Battle -- L.A. Times

Phones and other smart devices are being tested across all branches of the military. Seeing an opportunity, software firms and defense contractors are developing apps that will enable soldiers to pass along intelligence, view reconnaissance images or even pilot small drones by remote control.

As a Cobra attack helicopter pilot, Marine Capt. Jim "Hottie" Carlson was running support missions above Afghanistan last summer when it occurred to him that it was taking far too long to find where U.S. troops were under attack.

"Do you have any idea how long it takes to find the right map, unfold it, and find where you're going? It's agonizing," he said.

Frustrated that he had to flip through dozens of maps stuffed inside his chopper, Carlson, 31, loaded the documents onto his personal iPad, enabling him to zoom in, zoom out and quickly move from one map to another.

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My Comment: Off the shelf products are sometimes a Godsend for those in the military. The ipad appears to be one of those "Godsends".

App Now Available For Tracking Down Taliban Fighters

US army captain Jonathan Springer spent $20,000 designing an app for troops

US Soldier Makes App For Tracking Down Taliban Fighters -- BBC

Getting shot at by Taliban fighters and need to call an air strike? There's an app for that.

Tactical Nav can be downloaded to a smartphone to figure out where an enemy is firing from, and to call in an air strike or covering fire.

It was created by US army captain Jonathan Springer after two of his comrades were killed in a rocket attack.

He says it is as accurate as any technology currently in use for the same purpose, and far cheaper too.

Captain Springer is back in his Indiana home after a 12-month tour in Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne.

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My Comment: I can see a lot of applications here .... more publicity please.

Army Tests Smartphones for Combat

Boots, Rifle, iPhone? U.S. Army Tests Smart-Phones For Use In Combat -- Daily Mail

With their touch screens, downloadable apps and built in cameras they have already taken over life on the high street.

But now the all conquering smart phone could be coming to the battlefield - as the U.S. army begins testing the devices for combat readiness.

It is hoped the tests, using a range of iPhone, Android and other devices, will enable soldiers to evaluate the ruggedness and portability of the smart-phone for the 21st century soldier.

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More News On The use of Smart-Phones In Combat

Killer App: Army Tests Smartphones for Combat -- Wall Street Journal
Army Testing iOS, Android Tablets and Smartphones for Combat Use -- PCMag
US Army testing iPhones, Androids for combat -- Digital Trends
Army to Begin Testing Smartphone and Tablet Apps for Warfare -- TMCnet
Army Tests iPhones, Androids, and Tablets for War -- Signal News
Killer Apps? Army Tests Smartphones for Combat -- FOX news

U.S. Army App Store To Be Deployed In August

Now The Army Wants An App Store -- Techland/Time

No doubt Steve Jobs expected a lot of things when he launched the first iPod back in 2001, but the Army setting up its own App Store was probably not one of them.

Yes, the Army. An App Store. Because soldiers need apps too.

It's called Army Marketplace, and the idea is that it serves two purposes: distributing software around a huge organization, and serving providing a discussion forum where soldiers can describe the kind of software they need, and coders can quickly respond.

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More News On the Army's App Store

First Look: Inside the Army’s App Store for War -- The Danger Room
US Army plans app store for troops -- The Telegraph
Army Hoping to Deploy Mobile App Store in August -- PC Mag
U.S. Army to launch custom app store for the Military -- Android Community
U.S. Army Looks To Android For Mobile Apps -- Hot Hardware
Army readies apps for Android combat devices -- Network World

The Growth In Military Apps Continues

Photo from Laptop-DRV

iPads, Android Tablets And Smartphones Join The Military -- Computer World

Contractors build military apps for use with cheaper, consumer-grade devices.

Computerworld - Shooting turtles or attacking enemy warplanes with game apps on an iPad is child's play compared to the apps two military contractors are planning for use with low-cost, consumer-grade tablets and smartphones.

For example, Harris, a Pentagon contractor with experience in commercial broadcast video products, is working on an app for Apple's iPad and other tablets that will allow a soldier on the ground to use touchscreen gestures to remotely move a camera aboard an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to find enemy weapons or troops, while watching what the camera sees on the tablet. The video information, combined with data about location and time, can be quickly transmitted using Harris video technology to a network manned by intelligence commanders around the globe who could make quick decisions about military targets.

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Update #1: Contractors Build Military Apps for iPads, Android Tablets and Smartphones -- IT Business Edge
Update #2: Android app for military drone control in the works -- Android Community
Update #3: Military Once Again Turning to Android for Battlefield Solutions -- Phandroid

My Comment: The military is finally catching up to where everyone else is with this technology.

Hello To The Revolution In iPad And Smartphone Apps

Militarized iPad and Smartphone Wired

Unleash The iPads Of War! Military Maps Now Apps -- The Danger Room

Ever since the Army held a contest for iPhone and Android applications in March, software developers have drooled at the chance to get in on the military market. Judging by what’s on display at the annual Association of the U.S. Army confab in Washington, get ready for a lot of apps that map — keeping track of both allies and enemies.

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More News On iPad/Smartphone Apps For Soldiers

Military iPad and Smartphone Apps Make Angry Birds Look Somehow Childish --Popular Science
Military iPad App Makes War Look Like A Video Game -- UberGizmo
Tracking App Designed for the US Army -- iSmashPhone
Military iPad app makes war more like a video game -- Dvice

Is This Apple Ap Going To Help Terrorists?

Threat: Security experts have slammed a £2 phone app which gives specific details about in-flight aircraft

Phone App That Tracks Planes 'Is Aid To Terrorists Armed With Missiles' - -The Daily Mail

A mobile phone application costing less than £2 which tracks the precise location of passenger aircraft in the sky is a serious terrorist threat and should be banned, according to a security expert.

The Plane Finder AR app for the Apple iPhone and Google’s Android allows users to point their phone at the sky and see the position, height and speed of nearby aircraft. It also shows the airline, flight number, departure point, destination and even the likely course.

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My Comment: Yup .... we found the enemy and it is Apple.

'Apps For Army' Will Shape A Future Military

Photo: Lt. Gen. Jeff Sorenson will discuss the Apps for the Army contest on a DoD Bloggers Roundtable, Aug 4, 2010, at 10:30am eastern. (Image: US Army)

Androids, iPhones Prepped for Battle in Army’s First-Ever App Contest -- The Danger Room

Unleash the iPhones of war! The Army’s announced the winners of their first-ever mobile phone app development contest. And the general behind the program says some of the applications will be in the field “within a year.”

A total of 141 soldiers and Army civilians participated in the contest, called Apps for the Army (A4A), which launched on March 1st. Participants designed a total of 53 applications, mostly for Androids and iPhones, in five different categories. Twenty-five apps were short-listed and cleared for deployment, with first-prize winners in each category taking home $3,000.

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More News On The U.S. Army's App Contest

'Apps for Army' to shape future software acquisition -- Army.Mil
Army Names App Winners -- Information Week
Apps for the Army Wraps Up, Android Comes Out on Top -- Android Community
US Army Holds an App Challenge (A4A), Four Out of Five Winners Are Android -- Phandroid
‘Apps for Army’ Shapes Way Army Does Business -- Executive Gov
Will Apps for the Army pave the way? -- Armed With Science