Soon the US Army will deploy its own mobile application store. Dubbed the Army Marketplace, it will initially feature 17 Android and 16 iPhone apps intended to help soldiers accomplish every day job-related tasks.
Apps included in the store have a wide range of utility. There’s a workout guide, an App for disaster relief that lets users create, edit, and search maps using Google Earth, and another that lets soldiers connect with the Army’s command post software in order to learn where firefights and bombings are occuring.
The Army Marketplace is also intended to encourage the development of new apps. In a forum within the Marketplace, Army personnel will be able to discuss potential apps. Ideally, the Army wants these apps to be developed in-house, but if not, it could contract third-party developers.
The Army Marketplace will not be open to the public. It is scheduled to be hosted on the Department of Defense’s secure server and access will require a username and password.
The US Army is also developing an Android smartphone especially for its soldiers, who will be allowed to access the Army Marketplace via a native app.
The Indian Air Force is in the process of deploying its own wireless network, and the Army and Navy will join soon.
Therefore, it won’t be difficult for them to have their own smartphone and application store.
This will prove to be icing on the cake as it will reduce the hassle in communication in a very cost effective way. Also, the phone is like the Swiss Army Knife of communication and computing.