Another Blow to RIM and a Boost to Android

For years, the mobile phone of choice for the U.S. Federal Government has been BlackBerry.  Many never thought this day would come, but it appears that BlackBerry’s days are numbered…at least with the Federal Government.  The Department of Defense (DoD), via the Security Technical Implementation Guide, approved Android devices to be used by its staff.  But, there is a catch: the Dell Venue is the only phone that has been approved for use…so far.  There are other restrictions as well:

• It must be running Android 2.2
• The Android Market has to be stripped from its core
• All web browsing must be done through a DoD proxy server
• Classified information cannot be sent, received or accessed by the phone

Also in the running is Apple’s iPhones and iPads.  But Houston, we have a problem.  The Defense Information Systems Agency tested the iPhone and iPad and due to Apple’s tightly controlled ecosystem, the devices have not yet been approved. To further complicate things for Apple, installing DoD third-party security software proved to be more difficult to install on iOS than Android’s open-source framework. As a further insult, especially with the Carrier iQ mess going on, another problem the DoD had with the iDevices is Apple’s ability to track its users’ locations.  Ouch.