Marines get their own version of the iPod Touch.

• Position: TECHWIRE

EXPLORING TECHNOLOGY IN THE DIGITAL AGE

* It's been several years since the Army started buying the iPod Touch for use by soldiers in combat. Troops have used the Touch, among other things, as a translation device or as a means to display mission data or biometrics information.

The military loves the iPod because it's easy to use, lightweight and requires little maintenance and power.

Not to be outdone, the Marine Corps has comp up with its own version of the iPod Touch, which is known as the "Marine Pod," or MPod.

The Mpod is a product of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, in Quantico, Va. The purpose is much like the Army's: to provide troops with a handheld device that could run software applications for language translation, cultural learning and general-purpose training. Officials hope that the MPod can help facilitate the creation and distribution of content rich multimedia training aids to deploying marines.

The device so far is only experimental because it is not yet encrypted. That is the next step.

Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren, Va., laboratory engineering psychologist Peter Squire said in a National Defense Education Program...