Technology.am (Apr. 20, 2009) — The U.S. military has enlisted the Apple’s iPod Touch, the new battlefield weapon, which is becoming a valuable battlefield tool for soldiers, according to a report in Newsweek.

The iPod allows soldiers to be linked with other soldiers as well as intelligence resources, such as aerial images from drones and translation software.

Now soldiers can use apps to add translated phrases to maps and photos, as well as show villagers video messages from local leaders.

A new program called Vcommunicator translates spoken and written Arabic, Kurdish, as well as two Afghan languages.

iPhone has developed another application allowing soldiers to take a photo of a street sign, upload it and instantly receive intelligence on the local area, such as water and sympathizers.

New recruits are already familiar with how the iPod and iPhone work, it’s also easier to train soldiers on loading content, the report notes.