Blackberry 10 devices have left Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Android devices behind in becoming the first devices to undergo and succeed the tough U.S. Department of Defense security requirements, according to a report from Reuters.
The full range of devices, based on Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) latest OS10, were approved by the agency. The devices which passed the test include BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 smartphones, and Blackberry PlayBook tablets.
The Pentagon was considering the devices of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Android and Blackberry OS for quite some time and it announced that it would allow users to own the latest versions of these smartphones in order to equip them with the latest communication technology, but only after the devices pass the rigorous security test.
The Pentagon took the decision of allowing its users to get the latest versions as it wants to create a mobile enterprise solution connecting all departments, and allow employees to benefit from the use of latest commercial technology like Smart Phones and tablets.
The Pentagon announced its plan of providing the military services an in-depth range of choices to select from.
The Department of Defense has an employee population of 3 million and all the three major phonemakers were in line to get their devices approved, but Blackberry twas the first one to get approval. The other two Smartphone giants, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (LON:BC94) (KRX:005930), will get approval for their devices in the next couple of weeks.
At present there are 470,000 Blackberry, 41000 Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and 8,700 Android devices in use by employees of the department. According to the DoD, it can handle as many as 8 million devices.
The approval of its devices should be encouraging news for Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB). The Pentagon stated in October last year that the device contract it has with Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) will be confined to it although the organization will consider the other companies as well. However, Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) encountered a critical hiccup when in the same month the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency declared that it has planned to drop all its Blackberry devices, and in turn will opt for Apple devices.
The U.S. government agency and Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) have had various contracts between them in the past. Research In Motion Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) (TSE:BB) designs their devices to suit government security needs, and with the launch of Blackberry 10 devices, the company is once again gaining the confidence of the Department of Defense.
