Having made a smashing debut in the commercial markets, Apple's iPod Touch and iPhone are quickly making inroads into the hardware stock of the U.S. military. Soldiers in Iraq are using military-issued iPod Touches and iPhones for a wide variety of tasks, including translation and mapping.

According to Newsweek, the Pentagon is breaking with tradition by using commercial products such as the Touch and iPhone instead of developing its own handheld devices for the military's long-term plan of "networked warfare" where every soldier is connected to the intelligence grid.

On the other hand, the military has a unique advantage when it comes to iPod Touches and iPhones: It can develop applications without approval from Cupertino. Programs such as Vcom3D's Vcommunicator that provides soldiers with Arabic and Kurdish phrases and Next Wave Systems' app allowing military personnel to send pictures back to command posts for identification.

"This iPod-based tool uses audio of scenario-specific phrases and video of culturally appropriate behaviors to assist users in language training and cross-cultural communication anytime, anywhere," Vcom3D states on its Website. "The iPod platform is solider-friendly and provides a lot of flexibility when it comes to meeting our soldiers' needs." 

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