ATF second federal agency to ditch BlackBerrys for iPhones

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014


The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is set to move from the ailing BlackBerry platform to the iPhone, making it the second federal agency to choose Apple over RIM.



ATF Chief Information Officer Rick Holgate said on Tuesday that the switch will include the swapping out of 3,800 BlackBerry handsets with replacements devices, over 60 percent of which will be iPhones, reports website Politico.



"We're going to delete the BlackBerry from the mix," Holgate said, adding that the change will be completed within a one year time frame.



Around 2,400 special agents will start receiving their iPhones as early as March, and the ATF is actively preparing its mobile device infrastructure by readying licenses and software to accommodate the rollout.



The remaining 1,400 BlackBerry units will be replaced by other undisclosed devices.



Holgate cites device functionality as the main factor in shifting away from BlackBerry, noting that while a variety of features like video streaming, GPS capability and a camera exist on the BlackBerry platform, the ease of use and adaptability of the iPhone makes a "more functional and compelling case."



“The government has been very comfortable with the BlackBerry model for 10 years,” he said. “Now we're looking to move beyond that.”











The ATF's decision continues the trend of government agencies moving away from BlackBerry to Apple offerings.



Earlier in February, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced that it would make the jump to iPhone, and added that it plans to supply workers with iPads at a later date.



[ View article on AppleInsider ]

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 25
    ka47ka47 Posts: 25member
    Buy American. I am.
  • Reply 2 of 25
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Where is all the news of Enterprise and Governments using Android-based devices? Surely they must be leading the pack with such impressive activation numbers¡
  • Reply 3 of 25
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    Where is all the news of Enterprise and Governments using Android-based devices? Surely they must be leading the pack with such impressive activation numbers¡



    At Google's headquarters, there are one thousand Android phones hooked up to one of the most powerful supercomputers on the face of the planet. This computer's job is to install, erase, and reinstall Android on these phones as fast as it possibly can 24-7-365.



    And that's how they get the numbers.
  • Reply 4 of 25
    Hmm...60% will be iPhones. They must be holding out for the MW8 for the rest of their phones.
  • Reply 5 of 25
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    Where is all the news of Enterprise and Governments using Android-based devices? Surely they must be leading the pack with such impressive activation numbers¡



    Android has the reputation of too many security risks due to its open style environment, deserved or not. Better to play it safe with iPhone. Makes perfect sense not to use BB though since your emails and web surfing would use RIM servers outside of the US.
  • Reply 6 of 25
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Android has the reputation of too many security risks due to its open style environment, deserved or not. Better to play it safe with iPhone. Makes perfect sense not to use BB though since your emails and web surfing would use RIM servers outside of the US.



    I think this might be an accurate view on Android in enterprise. Waddya think mstone?

    http://www.webtorials.com/discussion...nd-or-foe.html
  • Reply 7 of 25
    So we can expect to see a "Where is the Gun the Feds Helped Smuggle Into Mexico" App or iCloud integration?
  • Reply 8 of 25
    poochpooch Posts: 768member
    won't be long now before apple is so firmly engrained in the u.s. government that any patent litigation will be summarily dismissed as a threat to national security.



    apple's plan for world domination is proceeding as expected.



    (in all honesty, i always thought that bill gates wanted to rule the world ... i also believed that steve wanted to rule it just as much but that he was just a little behind ... well, not any longer.)
  • Reply 9 of 25
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post


    Where is all the news of Enterprise and Governments using Android-based devices? Surely they must be leading the pack with such impressive activation numbers¡



    Go look at what areas of the world many of those 'impressive' activation numbers are coming from, and you'll see that they're not really impressive at all. Blackberries are actually doing ok too, in that same market. I believe that politically correct people choose to call that market the developing world.



    And there's absolutely nothing to be boasting about if the market that you happen to be doing well in is primarily because you offer a low end, low priced product.



    In the developing world, the low-end BlackBerry Curve has been the first smartphone for many. It works well on relatively slow cellular networks, which means carriers are happy to push it, knowing that it won't overwhelm them, said analyst Matthew Robison at Wunderlich Securities.



    http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/st...and/50776760/1
  • Reply 10 of 25
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ChristophB View Post


    So we can expect to see a "Where is the Gun the Feds Helped Smuggle Into Mexico" App or iCloud integration?



    RIM phones don't have enough memory to track all those guns.
  • Reply 11 of 25
    muppetrymuppetry Posts: 3,331member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Android has the reputation of too many security risks due to its open style environment, deserved or not. Better to play it safe with iPhone. Makes perfect sense not to use BB though since your emails and web surfing would use RIM servers outside of the US.



    To be fair, you don't have to use RIM servers, even if you use BBs.
  • Reply 12 of 25
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    Android has the reputation of too many security risks due to its open style environment, deserved or not. Better to play it safe with iPhone. Makes perfect sense not to use BB though since your emails and web surfing would use RIM servers outside of the US.



    Despite the fact that Google has addressed some of the security issues, the vast majority of Android phones (95.6% as of 1 February 2012) are on a version which is more than one year old. Over-the-air updates and all the user interface refinements in the world are pointless when users can't update. Even the over-hyped Samsung Galaxy Note has Gingerbread (2.3.6) installed.



    No wonder Fandroids only talk about hardware, that is all you can do to suffer the embarrassment of having ancient Operating Systems on your phone.
  • Reply 13 of 25
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    "I'm going to need the location history data for certain people"

  • Reply 14 of 25
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacBook Pro View Post


    Even the over-hyped Samsung Galaxy Note has Gingerbread (2.3.6) installed.



    But it's 5.3 inches! Isn't that freaking awesome? It kills the iPhone.



    Being the huge Fandroid that I am, I always live by the motto "bigger is better". It doesn't matter to me if the product is too large to fit in my pocket or if I must use two hands to use it. I just like big fucking things, including my phones.



    Everything that I buy is bigger. When I go to McDonalds, I always choose supersize fries. Who cares if I weigh 297 pounds? I even like my women big. My current girlfriend is a 235 pound hotty. I dumped my previous girlfriend because she was just not cutting it, she was just too damn skinny and short. Her specs were simply not good enough for a highly discerning person and Android fan such as myself. And we all know that it's all about the specs. Only a fool would disagree with that.



    And who cares if it the Samsung Note comes with an antiquated version of Android on it? As soon as I buy it I'm just going to head down into my mom's basement and install custom ROM version 14A.17b2 revision 14 on it. It is going to be so fucking sick. iFans have no idea what they're missing out on.



    I can't wait until next year, because by that time they will have released the 6.4" Note. It's going to fucking rock dude.
  • Reply 15 of 25
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KA47 View Post


    Buy American. I am.



    American? in light of the recent Foxconn brouhaha, it should be rather obvious that nationalism has no place in technology. I don't know how much of Apple's profit is parked oversea, but the only major part/component made in US is A5/6 chips made by Samsung, a South Korean company, in TX.
  • Reply 16 of 25
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pooch View Post


    won't be long now before apple is so firmly engrained in the u.s. government that any patent litigation will be summarily dismissed as a threat to national security.



    apple's plan for world domination is proceeding as expected.



    (in all honesty, i always thought that bill gates wanted to rule the world ... i also believed that steve wanted to rule it just as much but that he was just a little behind ... well, not any longer.)



    not really.. remember NTP vs. RIM? I don't think Obama ditched his $3300 Blackberry yet.
  • Reply 17 of 25
    boredumbboredumb Posts: 1,418member
    I guess this means, if that commercial is to be believed, that the ATF needs toys, not tools...?
  • Reply 18 of 25
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MacBook Pro View Post


    Even the over-hyped Samsung Galaxy Note has Gingerbread (2.3.6) installed.



    But it has a pen. A PEN!!!!
  • Reply 19 of 25
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by boredumb View Post


    I guess this means, if that commercial is to be believed, that the ATF needs toys, not tools...?



    What are alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives if not amazing toys?
  • Reply 20 of 25
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by hittrj01 View Post


    What are alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives if not amazing toys?



    Why the wink? Move to TX and buy a ranch.
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