We're trying... we're trying
real hard to cling to our pacifist ways. But damn if the fusion of this US Army M110 Sniper Rifle and mounted iPod touch running the BulletFlight external ballistics calculator (available via the App Store) doesn't make us want to kill. Tap in the variables such as weather conditions, ammunition type, distance to target, and wind speed before exhaling and gently squeezing back on your second amendment right. God bless America.
[Via
The Firearm Blog]
Read -- M110 sniper rifle with iPod touch mount
Read -- BulletFlight App [warning: iTunes link]
posted Jan 20th 2009 3:50AM
good luck using this if the other guy has night-vision or IR.
Most 3rd generation night vision goggles only have a detection range of 300 meters. I doubt anyone utilizing this would get that close. Plus, America only wages war against poor countries that can't afford night vision.
Now all we need is an attachment to get a digital feed from the sniper's optics so you can take pictures with the iPhone's camera and upload your headshots to your .Mac account webpage.
what a nice accessory for my ipod touch.
they only problem how can I ship it overseas ?
@G0DM0D333
Don't worry, I could see a cigarette in a field without any problems with my night-vision.
I just put 3 bullets in a Tango's head - and now I can check my email or listen to my podcasts...
I'd be more concerned about the enemy hearing them rock out to some Neil Young.
The Mullahs/Iranians, the Russians, Chinese, and all the greedy Euros funneling arms are oh-so-poor! Careful you don't shoot yourself with this thing.
... unless you have to.
Tried this with my 4th gen iPod, hard drive only lasted 1 shot, good thing the Touch is solid state!
Iraq had NVGs that they got from Syria, Marines found em' when we invaded.
I want this as a Perk on call of duty!
i personally prefer the awp
awps are t3h suck. scoutz FTW!
Yeah, good look with that. You obviously know little fo warfare. See: Project SALVO.
An "awp" as you call it, is a police rifle, you'd be better off with the AI PM, by the way.
+1 for Scout!! . . just shoot 4 the head!!
Scout's accuracy sucks standing, why you would be better off with the AWP.
Accuracy International delivers both police and military versions of their infamous rifle, and it's used by a lot ot militaries that operates in sub-zero temperatures.
So not just a police rifle.
Scoutz is for skillz.
@Technex - Seeing as I'm pretty sure a rifle's accuracy (the rifle's accuracy, not yours) doesn't change depending upon your chosen shooting position, perhaps you just don't know how to shoot in the standing position that well.
learn2counterstrike Aaron
Game Aaron?
...but can it play my fav sniping playlist while i line up all those headshots????
...these are the questions that keep me up at night...
May I suggest Filter's "Hey Man, Nice Shot" for your sniping pleasure.
It actually comes pre-loaded with Ted Nugent albums...
so, a book with some bad words in it gets denied but this gets approved?
ok then.
well thats the american way i guess, guns a-blazing but say a bad word like God and you get bleeped
Ahh, good thing that one is. That way, while the government raids all of the anti-gun liberal's houses in search of drugs or some other excuse, I'll be prepared with my iPod Touch-equipped AR-15.
Viva la resistance!
@Pik:
i prefer the dillion mini gun mounted to a moshion cencior
while the ipod remote controlls the mini gun :D
/\
|
Edukashun Rules!
Spelling-fu
I'll take 3!
like in the note "doesn't make us want to kill" sarcasm or not you bether be joking.
"doesn't make us want to kill" sarcasm or not you bether be joking.
Too bad iPod/iPhones cannot run two apps concurrently - missed opportunity to calculate ballistics and listen to Godsmack's 'Awake' at the same time.
:P
yea u can listen to music and use that app at the same time as long the app ur running has sound it wont stop the music from playing
Yeah it can. pwn it and add backgrounder. hold home for 2 sec and it quits to the background. simple.
So showing this to the Sniper guys in my Guard unit next drill...
Yes, enjoy your second ammendment right, unless you live in California, Illinois, New York or Washington DC, in which case you can go f*** yourself.
You clearly don't understand the Supremacy Clause.
This is not available to the public my friend. Just go to there website. Only US Gov. and Polic Dept sales only.
You just gotta love that iCase, too. It turns your gizmo into a neat, indestructible lump of functional ugly. I like it. Does it come with a "Hello Kitty" print?
Did everyone forget about this story...?
http://www.engadget.com/2008/01/17/hello-kitty-ar-15-assault-rifle-makes-you-wish-it-was-photoshopp
:( This is going to be used by our soldiers fighting in the name of our country overseas. And more importantly, by guys like me here who support the 2nd amendment. Maybe if you excercised your right to bear arms, Apple and the government wouldn't be so quick to trample on your 1st amendment rights. ;)
Uhh, -_- i meant this as a reply to "you" and "Ian's" comments, respectively: "so, a book with some bad words in it gets denied but this gets approved?" and "well thats the american way i guess, guns a-blazing but say a bad word like God and you get bleeped" but I botched it and made a comment and not a reply. :/
Good job, G0DM0D333. Here's something for the folks to consider. Article 1 Section 21 of the Pennsylvania Constitution (used as a basis for the U.S. Constitution's Second Amendment) states clearly, "The right of citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the state shall not be questioned." Heller 5, D.C. 4 Winner: U.S. citizens.
hmm interesting...now you can calculate the bullet speed and listen to "what a wonderful world" while playing war...
This actually kinda makes me furious!
So some book gets pulled because it contains a few "bad" words but a ballistics calculator designed to make killing stuff easier is juuuust fine. We wouldn't like the kids in high school talking trash cause that would be bad but if they decide to climb that bell tower with a rifle it might just come in handy for them to have something on their PMP that could help with their AIM.
F*cktards! I'm an Apple fanboy but it's hypocrisy like this that makes me wonder...
See my above comment. Comments like this make me kinda furious. There's basically zero chance a criminal or "the kids in high school" will "climb the bell tower with a rifle" and actually know how to properly use a ballistics calculator in order to kill innocent people. This is going to be used by snipers fighting in the desert for our country.
I find it ironic how you and a few other commenters infer that this product is basically evil and then go on to complain about how Apple is trampling on your 1st amendment rights, in reference to that book they wouldn't allow on their online bookstore. Without the 2nd amendment and an armed populace no one would respect our right to free speech and expression as laid out in the first amendment at all.
Firearms are the badge of liberty. Without them there would be nothing stopping from Apple and the government from burning every book they want to.
Please think before you spam the anti-gun button like most liberals do.
What age are you. That is the most idiotic counter argument i have ever hear!
Please read something other that 'Jugs n ammo'
It's weird - over here we Brits manage to get that free speech without an "armed populace". I also don't recall seeing any libraries on fire. You lunatic.
Firstly, "There's basically zero chance a criminal or "the kids in high school" will "climb the bell tower with a rifle" and actually know how to properly use a ballistics calculator in order to kill innocent people." FAIL!
This statement is plain wrong as they, both criminals and kids gone postal, have already done just that. Cases in point, the Beltway sniper attacks, Charles Whitman and doubtlessly several others might apply. They may not have applied a ballistic calculator but it wouldn't take much determination to learn to use one. Also, if this is simply intended for snipers in the desert fighting for the country, you'd think the military had some other way of distributing the tools of the trade other than the App Store? And that, perhaps, they might have a dedicated device for the job?
Secondly, there are a lot of places (most in fact) around the world that don't include the right to bear arms in their constitution and yet do not have their civil rights trampled on. This argument is just childish, how many people have you recently shot in the face to defend your rights? If the government really wanted to mess you up they would whether you had weapons or not. They're always going to have bigger and better weapons, better propaganda and better trained soldiers. If you need an example, take a look at Israel vs. Palistine.
Third, I actually don't give a flying f*ck if people can obtain ballistic calculators, rifles, rpgs or nuclear warheads (hey, gun nuts, ever thought about that? Nukes are essentially arms, should they be freely available to all who want them?). My point is simply on how insanely hypocritical and morally warped this is, banning some words (to protect the youth I suspect is their argument) but allowing the tools of war (to benefit hunters I'm guessing would be their explanation).
I guess the bottom line is, I'm mostly pissed of at them censoring at all...
i don't care one way or the other but the countries most closely resembling the US (Canada and UK) have a great deal of restrictions on "free" speech and we don't have the same freedoms as the US. I'm not complaining but as they are two great countries but there are considerable differences including the right to bear arms.
"This is going to be used by snipers fighting in the desert for our country. "
Bahahahahaha :D :D iPhones as standard issue? Jobs must be creaming his pants at the prospect :D
And I'm not even going to bother going near the rest of the post :D It's just too easy :D
Don't be an idiot. You sound like one when you basically infer that this product is somehow immoral. It's been said a billion times, but a gun only does what a human tells it to do.
"Bahahahahaha :D :D iPhones as standard issue? Jobs must be creaming his pants at the prospect :D
And I'm not even going to bother going near the rest of the post :D It's just too easy :D"
Sorry to piss down down your back (I only do it because you will just think it is raining), but the military currently uses the iPod touch as a translator for troops over seas.
Indeed TrentD, it's all a question of perspective isn't it?
So while Apple may decide that certain words should not be seen, read or heard they may decide that a certain program is fine even though it's potential uses are questionable at best.
All I'm saying is that, personally, I think this thing is a whole lot more dangerous than some expletives in a book.
Sure the pen is mightier than the sword and certain texts can potentially be a whole lot more dangerous than weapons in the way that they incite hate and call people to action. But the book in question was a thriller, hardly explosive stuff.
I know someone using this as an aide in dropping people with a sniper rifle on some rampage is highly, highly unlikely. It will probably never happen. And sure, people can use it for hunting or whatever but seriously... it's a lame argument for needing one of these.
And I don't think they should stop selling this as you are absolutely right, it's not guns that kill people, people kill people.
And in the case of the US constitution people are trusted with certain rights. They're trusted to be responsible enough to handle guns sensibly. Why can't people be trusted to handle words sensibly? Why do the American people need protection from the Government and corporations from words? They don't need protection from guns.
So again, I don't really care that they sell this particular item. I think they should.
Their censorship policy just strikes me as very, very... very and truly... American.
>This statement is plain wrong as they, both criminals and kids gone postal, have already done just that. Cases in point, the Beltway sniper attacks, Charles Whitman and doubtlessly several others might apply.
Several others? thats like 6-7 total, maybe, in a decade? All I have to say in reply to that is the same I would say to all the gun hating idiots out there in a situation where they don't think civilians are entitled to certain equipment or a gun, neither of which they have any real understanding of like in this instance: "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Benjamin Franklin
>Secondly, there are a lot of places (most in fact) around the world that don't include the right to bear arms in their constitution and yet do not have their civil rights trampled on.
That's not the point. Whenever the government decides to trample on the people's rights there will be nothing to stop them (or anyone else who is so inclined, for that matter). That's the whole point of the 2nd amendment, that's why the architects of the constitution made it such an important part. A well armed populace is the best defense against tyranny. Of course I don't think a bunch of backwoods retards with AR15s could take on the U.S. military. You, like all other anti gun idiots, miss the point entirely of the 2nd amendment.
Who are you calling childish? You're the naive one for trusting your government so much. Look at the global economy right now. It collapsed because the government didn't regulate the financial sector properly. We're waging a bullshit war in the middle east, everyone knows it by now (that doesn't mean I care any less for our brave men and women fighting over there, so don't try to pull that one). Do you really think the government is going to be there to protect you in a crisis? I hope it's not the same level of protection given to the Katrina victims.
>Third, I actually don't give a flying f*ck if people can obtain ballistic calculators, rifles, rpgs or nuclear warheads (hey, gun nuts, ever thought about that? Nukes are essentially arms, should they be freely available to all who want them?)
Yeah now your stupid is showing. Not even worth responding to but it kind of ties in with gun haters illogical reasoning so let me just say that banning guns doesn't do shit to combat crime and murder. There are stats to prove this, look at the UK where the crime rate actually jumped. Bad people will always be doing bad things, once again you're acting childish for believing otherwise, or that they weren't buying their guns through the black market already. What about the knife murderer in Japan? Should they ban knives there like in the UK? Maybe we should ban baseball bats because they can be used to beat people to death? Then we might as well ban hands because then you might choke someone.
>What age are you. That is the most idiotic counter argument i have ever hear!
Yes, and your counter argument...doesn't exist. I wonder why, probably because there is no real valid counter argument besides the typical "HURRR DURRR GUNS IS BAD THEY KILLS PEOPLE HURRR DURRR" poorly thought out moral high-ground bullshit I'm so sick of hearing it makes me want to tear my eyes out.
>It's weird - over here we Brits manage to get that free speech without an "armed populace". I also don't recall seeing any libraries on fire. You lunatic.
It's easy to make me sound like a nut, sure, when you put it like that and you kind of missed the point of what I was saying but okay. Enjoy being under surveillance 24/7, not knowing how to defend yourself properly with or how to maintain a firearm and not owning one or a knife. All your government has to do is put up some barbed wire fences, enforce a curfew and you'll be living as a slave in a fascist nation state. Hooray!
Also, “Americans have the right and advantage of being armed- unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.” -James Madison
In closing:
"Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself! They are the American people's Liberty Teeth and keystone under Independence. From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to insure peace, security, and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere, restrains evil interference -- they deserve a place of honor with all that's good!"
--President George Washington
Not all gun nuts are crazy asshole rednecks and I resent the fact that so many gun haters have turned it into a kind of class war, where anyone who supports the 2nd amendment in turn supports school shootings and violence. I personally don't appreciate being referred to as childish and a lunatic for defending my beliefs.
I take comfort knowing that in standing by what I believe to be true I'm in the company of some truly great leaders and people who understood how precious and fragile true liberty and freedom really is.
“By calling attention to ‘a well regulated militia’, the ’security’ of the nation, and the right of each citizen ‘to keep and bear arms’, our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation, the Amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic civilian-military relationships, in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason, I believe the Second Amendment will always be important.”
John F. Kennedy, April 1960
I'm at a conference and I'm super bored and some of those earlier posts pissed me off that's why I wrote all this.
I will gladly continue this debate.
>All I'm saying is that, personally, I think this thing is a whole lot more dangerous than some expletives in a book.
So now its not about whether or not people have the right to it, you're just trying to make this rifle accessory seem more evil so you can push your point about how you think it's unfair that they censored that book. I see how it is.
I admit that I was at first upset when I heard about Apple's censoring the book but then you have to realize that they're a multi-billion dollar mega corporation and they have thousands of employees and a bottom line to worry about. Again I say that you need to stop being so naive. This is a free country and a company has the right to protect itself. Why risk serious legal issues, a backlash from the religious world and a substantial public relations blow over one book? It's smart business. Just remember how the bills get paid in this country, this is a capitalist empire, it's really not that surprising. I'm not saying I agree with it, I'm just saying that we shouldn't be surprised at the measures, however unethical, corporations will take to protect their bottom line. It's not like the government is going to do anything to regulate them, after all.
>I know someone using this as an aide in dropping people with a sniper rifle on some rampage is highly, highly unlikely. It will probably never happen. And sure, people can use it for hunting or whatever but seriously... it's a lame argument for needing one of these.
Now you talk sense...almost. You might not know it but lots of avid target shooters, hunters and military snipers use ballistics computers frequently. There's actually a whole market of ballistics computers. They're often very expensive and bulky. You would probably also be surprised to know that KAC (the company that makes the dreaded product and ballistic calculator in question) wasn't the first to make a ballistics calculator for the iphone and ipod touch. It's called iSnipe and it came out I think about 6 months ago, maybe earlier? The fact is, the iphone and ipod touch are simple and effective platforms for a ballistics computer that most people already own.
You might not realize also, that if you intend on taking an accurate shot past a couple hundred yards you're going to have to do at least a rudimentary calculation if you want to get anywhere near on target. So by using a calculator, the shooter can streamline and speed up the process. And he won't be wasting pencils and paper to do the math and store data. See, we all shooters aren't cold blooded killers, we care about the environment.
Taking your best possible cold bore shot in a hunting scenario is also very important, and this product would greatly aid in this effect. It's important because if you miss on the first shot and the bullet flies stray of your intended target, the animal could not die immediately and suffer a prolonged and horrific death which ethically sound hunters do their best to avoid. See, we care about animals to...when we're not trying to kill them.
There's very little chance anyone about to go on a crazy sniper rampage will even know how to use a ballistics computer effectively. I doubt they would even know how to mount it to their rifle because they would need a special side receiver picatinny rail. Everyone saying this product is silly really have no understanding of what it would be used for. It's just a convenience thing, it's about streamlining a kit. Shooting is a very methodical process that requires lots of focus and attention to be successful, this is just one way to make things simpler, to avoid clutter. Instead of dragging a big folder with pens and having to set up a light and paper weights which would be a pain, all the shooter needs is his rifle which has everything he needs conveniently mounted on the rifle.
All this is null, you all also probably don't realize that KAC rarely sells to civilians and this side mounted enclosure will probably not be open to the public. :(
@G0DM0D333:
Thank you for your response. It is very well thought out and well articulated. It is too rare that people can actually make their points in an intellectual way on the internet these days.
There are many facets to this debate and I haven't really formed any concrete opinions or arguments aside from my general dislike for public ownership of assault weapons and/or sidearms as I generally don't have to worry about it being from Iceland.
I would have liked to debate this further and hear more of your points on the matter as a lot of them have merit.
But, alas, the government of Iceland has been dicking us around lately and people are now protesting en-masse, borderline rioting and setting fires in front of parliament. The police is bringing out the mace, the riot gear and the batons and things are really heating up.
So, for now, I'd rather focus my attention and energy on what's happening in my own country.
Maybe we'll pick this up again next time Engadget post a story about a gun related product.
I'm hoping for a real, honest to god, actual revolution. But it will be one fought entirely without guns, for some weird reason no one seems to need them much up here. Perhaps that's why no one has ever been killed in these kinds of clashes up here.
If you, or anyone else, should be interested here are some pics:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=iceland+riot&s=rec&ss=2&page=2
It is now day one and so far violence is at a minimum but I imagine it could get a lot worse.
Yet, (repeating myself) still I see no need for guns...
“Though defensive violence will always be a ’sad necessity’ in the eyes of men of principle, it would be still more unfortunate if wrongdoers should dominate just men.”
-St. Augustine
I guess none of you have ever heard of competitive shooting?
Militaries all have professional ballistic calculators which they issue to their snipers with the rest of their equipment. This setup is obviously intended for use at a shooting range. (If used for military purposes, how long would the batteries last in that thing anyway? My iPhone wouldn't make it through a 2 or 3 day mission, that's for sure.)
Token Conspiracy Theory: This is a honeypot project by the FBI in cooperation with Apple and the DHS. Anyone who downloads this app will be investigated by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. Also, bigfoot is real, the aliens told me so.
This is not available to the public my friend. Just go to there website. Only US Gov. and Polic Dept sales only.
Definitely a must have ..Not.
Now I understand a bit more about how Apple became number One in the USA.
Shrink... I wanna' kill.
iPod Touch "The Funnest iPod Ever."
Presumably, unless you are on the receiving end of its "fun". Clearly this application will enable you to "reach out and touch someone"...
Speaking of iPhone's 'killer app', hur-hur
imagine when the iphone is ringing :)
then it's more the suicide app...
Will it work on my Klobb?
Ipod Touch, made in the People's Republic of China.
So, this put in perspective the fight against the (evil, satanic, child eater...) communism.
:3
Does it come with a kill button?
Don't worry, the nice men in black aren't there to hurt you.
Looks like an M4 to me...
The M110 is basically a modified AR-10. It's built on the AR platform. The same platform as the M-16/AR-15, the M-4/carbine, and a host of other weapons. It mostly resembles the AR-15, which is a .223 round, while the AR-10 fires a .303.
AR-10 uses a .308 (7.62mm) not .303. Just sayin'!
Close, but the AR-10 (common versions, at least) fires .308 Winchester, which is the same cartridge as 7.62 NATO; .303 generally refers to .303 British, which basically nobody uses these days.
Oh yeah...dur. .303 vickers... Got messed up for a second.
Tell us what it's like to have your door kicked in by the Secret Service.
Is it just a coincidence that you posted this on inauguration day?
Voting from the rooftop today?
I've successfully mounted my iPhone on a shuriken.
this comment wins. everybody knows ninja can't be shot by snipers. duh!
so that's why ichat has been delayed.
"take the shot"
"i can't, my mom is sending me a pic of her cake and it is taking long to load. damn 3G coverage blindspots!"
"we're trying real hard..."
Well, I guess it's better than "trying fake hard". Or did you mean "trying really hard"?
I imagine the guy sitting there...
inputting all this in and then...
realizes he has no signal.
DAMN YOU ATT&T....DAMN YOU!!!
Tell me about it! I have such spotty coverage on my iPod Touch here in Chicago too! WTF ATT!?
Apple.... always ready to prepare you for the impending zombie apocalypse.
This is my rifle. There are many like it but this one is mine.
Does this count as "doing no evil"?
Aahh... I was looking for a way to test my new noise cancelling headphones
@Nano2e: "The M110 is basically a modified AR-10.[snip] while the AR-10 fires a .303."
Uhhh, that'd be a .308 not a ".303"
Pull, never "squeeze" that trigger.
Wrong, you "squeeze" Pistols and Rifles you "pull" shotguns.
@Nolando: "Pull, never "squeeze" that trigger"
No, actually you "press" the trigger smoothly and consistently with your fingertip until the gun fires. The "bang" should be a surprise if you're doing it correctly.
Nothing like having your face lit up by this thing at night. How about trying to charge this thing in the middle of nowhere? I would personally stick to a broken pencil and index card...
This might help with my .50 cal muzzle loader. I've been shooting full .50 295g rounds with 150 grain loads but i want to try some .45 sabots under the same load. Anyone know if it handles Black Power?
So this is the killer app we've all been waiting for....?
I just watched The Jackal a few days ago, where Bruce Willis' character has the latest and greatest in weaponry, and I feel like this is just the natural progression of that.
...Sort of.
vantage point!
The Apple iSnipe, now with 50% more headshot!
I'll wait until the Zune version, thanks.
I guess the days of adjusting for windage and elevation with iron sites and range flags are gone.