The Samsung Galaxy S4 and BlackBerry Z10 have gained government approval, and Apple has not.
That means that the Department of Defense has approved BlackBerry 10 and Knox, Samsung’s secure version of Android, putting the BlackBerry Z10 and Samsung Galaxy S4 on the list of technology that can be used within the Pentagon.
Defense Department networks have also been cleared to use the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet for the use of its Enterprise Service 10 system.
This puts the two companies far ahead of Apple’s iPhone, despite reports that iOS 6 may get clearance later this month.
“This approval will enable DoD customers to connect their BlackBerry Z10 or BlackBerry Q10 smartphones to DoD networks and securely access assets from work, while enjoying the wealth of consumer-oriented functionality that BlackBerry 10 brings to market,” Senior Vice President for Security for BlackBerry Scott Totzke said in a statement.
PC World estimates that the Pentagon has about 600,000 smartphone and tablet users, with the majority owning BlackBerrys at roughly 470,000. Apple users range around 41,000 with Android the farthest behind at 8,700.
That being said, Android does have the added benefit of having worked directly with the U.S. National Security Agency while developing Knox.
Samsung Knox has added layers of security protection, which allow users to manage their privacy on a per-app basis. But Knox only runs on the Galaxy S4 at the moment.
"This is a significant step towards establishing a multi-vendor environment that supports a variety of state-of-the-art devices and operating systems," Pentagon spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Damien Pickart said.
Allowing these devices into the Pentagon will also make sure that the military is familiar with the latest technology and means of communication.
"We are pleased to add Blackberry 10 and the Samsung Knox version of Android to our family of mobile devices supporting the Department of Defense," Pickart said. "We look forward to additional vendors also participating in this process."
Your move Apple.
