Killer App: Army Tests Smartphones for Combat

The Army plans to hold desert trials in the US next week to test off-the-shelf iPhones, Androids and tablet computers for use in war. Army will also stress-test a variety of applications that could allow troops to tap digital information from the front lines -- for instance, streaming video from a surveillance camera, or downloading up-to-the minute information from a remote database. The Army doesn't have a plan to give every soldier a smartphone. But Gen. Peter Chiarelli, the Army's vice chief of staff, recently said that if the devices proved themselves in testing, the service would "buy what we need for who needs it now." Many of the applications the Army wants to develop -- for instance, the ability to watch full-motion video shot from a drone -- can already be done with equipment now in the field. The potential advantage of smartphones and tablets is their lighter weight and ease of use.