The US Army just had their contest for the Apps for the Army, where soldiers and army civilians submitted applications for the smart phones that can be of use by the US Army. Contestants used programming applications as based on existing tools that can be found online and developed apps for military and civil defense purposes. Launched last May 2010, the contestants had 75 days to plan, develop, and submit their apps with winners announced this week for the US$3000 prize.140 developers took the challenge and most developed applications for the Android and iPhone smart phones.

Some of the applications developed took the opportunity of location aware tools, and what is one of the more valuable apps that was developed was for disaster relief operations which should benefit the civilian population. This is similar to a disaster relief map that was developed by one of the friends of Optimus Prime in the Philippines in reaction to the floodings that happened last year, as they both use Google Maps. It is very much useful for rescue, assessment, and resource allocation.

Other applications submitted fell into several categories: in morale, warfighting, data visualization, mission specific, personnel mangement, and training. All had to pass security certifications before being officially accepted as entries.

The contest was held given the realization that troops of today already have tools at their disposal to get information while on the move, and these are not necessarily Army-issued. As smart phones get more ubiquitous as they are already being used by teenagers and adults alike, the US Army might have decided to take advantage of this trend. It helps lessen costs in developing a wearable computer, given the legendary cost overruns for US Defense projects, and enlisted personnel don't have to wait for these tools: they'll be ready for the existing smart phones in their pockets.

How about for airsoft? What is notable are some airsoft news and websites which are already viewable with the smartphones, and their owners are already working on apps to give news and information rather than just using the mobile web browsers. You can count of Popular Airsoft to be doing that, promises Optimus Prime.

Another is the Battletac GPS Tactical Tracking Console that was developed for airsoft milsim. This is a good appication as it has actual applications for airsoft games.

Optimus Prime also suggested an airsoft events mobile management application for events organizers. Airbana might be working on that too. But there's always room for more.

This might not exactly be airsoft specific, but can have general mobile commerce purposes. An app for purchasing airsoft products and tactical gear. We expect this to be available, very very soon.

As an airsoft player, what phone apps would you need while on the road, while in an actual skirmish? It would be nice if you send us a news and information about your project for smart phones.

If only some airsoft companies would like to sponsor an "Apps for Airsoft" contest, we might see some bright ideas that may not only be useful for airsoft, but can also have potential benefits for military and civilian use.

Will there be an app for that _____ (fill in the blank)?

Photo credit: C. Todd Lopez, Army.mil.