Blackphone is a new Android device that aims to empower its users through high-security measures. It is the product of a partnership between Madrid-based mobile phone maker Geeksphone and Silent Circle, a security company.
Blackphone puts security at the top of the priority list; it offers security updates that are not slowed down by service carriers and Silent Phone and Silent Text for encrypted telephony and messaging, according to Tech Crunch. SpiderOak secure cloud storage is another plus. Kismet Smarter Wi-Fi Manager protects the Blackphone from being connected to suspicious, untrusted networks.
A security wizard guides new users through a slew of adjustable features. One that stands out is the monitoring of apps—the Blackphone will inform you if one of your apps is doing something it is not supposed to do.
The phone comes with a bright 4.7-inch HD touchscreen display, a quad-core 2GHz processor and 1GB of RAM. At just over four ounces, it has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera and offers 16GB of internal storage, according to an Ars Technica article.
PrivateOS, the Blackphone’s operating system, features the Security Center, an interface that puts the control of apps into the user’s hands. A user could cut off an app’s access to camera features or turn off the browser app’s access to networks. The Blackphone also comes with two years of Disconnect service. Disconnect is an Internet anonymizing service. It can be set to automatically provide private browsing, or it can be used manually to drive all Internet traffic through Disconnect’s proxy.
The Blackphone is sold at the higher end of smart phones at $629, but a closer look exposes why its pre-order inventory sold out quickly. Buying the Blackphone means getting a two-year subscription to Silent Circle’s voice calling, video calling and text messaging, as well as two years of Disconnect service with an allowance of 1GB per month and two years of SpiderOak cloud file storage and sharing with a limit of five 5GB per month.
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