While I have never had the ability to work directly with UAVs or their output, I have had the dubious please of being issued PDAs on operations and personally hated it...

...great idea, with each patrol being able to carry around a digitised reference to POIs in the AO, maps, photos, generic e-documents. Not so great when your S2 cell refuses further RFI's as 'you've already got electronic copies with you' (try briefing section commanders off a PDA that goes into stand-by every 20 seconds...). Additionally, I hate the idea of using laptops or any form of overt electronic device when around or meeting locals. Sometimes in may be necessary, but I saw the way a young soldier or commander would spend more time dealing with the windows menus than interacting with the local population.

That's my take on the 'ipod app' issue anyway - slightly off-topic as I don't have too much to say on UAVs, having never worked with them. As always proper training and ldrship is the key to integrating new assets, and I know that's not new information by any means.

Incidentally, I spent a fair few months lobbying my command chain for a lightweight mirror that we could use to glance around corners. I thought it was a wonderful idea but my soldiers hated it and command rubbished it... if I could make that mirror hover, cost a fair few thousand more dollars enable bluetooth on it I bet everyone would become interested!