The Navy doesn’t allow iPads on submarines; they’re too dangerous. Spies could use the camera to record inside, and cell signals could betray its location when it surfaces. Similar precautions apply to Kindles and other e-readers. If a service member wants to read, he needs to go to the miniature onboard library and check out a book.
That’s about to change. The Navy’s General Library Program just announced the NeRD, or Navy eReader Device. It’s an an E Ink tablet that resembles a Kindle, except it has no internet capability, no removable storage, and no way to add or delete content.
“What would be considered limiting [for] the technology is actually perfecting the device for its designated audience,” says Findaway World, which built the e-reader. Findaway is also the US military’s exclusive supplier of audiobooks.
via The Verge
