Even if we like it or not, we all are living in a hyper-connected where we have to rely on electronic devices to go through the majority of our daily tasks. The whole NSA episode that exploded last year has put serious questions on our privacy which has hit the panic button for many a people. The section which is fretting the most is the business community for whom keeping their private data away from surveillance is crucial. So is there a smartphone that is really surveillance proof or rather NSA-proof as some might want to know? Till now, businessmen were mostly using iPhone as their choice of smartphone but it’s really not as pro-privacy as it seems despite the finger-print reader on the iPhone 5S which is more or less useless. But finally there is one option tailor-made for those looking for top-notch mobile privacy; at least that’s what the company or rather companies that have come up with the smartphone are claiming. The Blackphone which has been brought into existence by Silent Circle and Geeksphone is being touted as the most secure smartphone there is.
The Blackphone was first teased in January but most of the details were not made public until now. The two companies together unveiled the device at the Mobile World Congress on Monday and if the claims are true, this device can very well become the first choice for businessmen and all those who are looking for a privacy-focused smartphone. The device runs on PrivatOS which is a modified version of Android that has been specially designed to keep user data secure and also comes with Silent Circle’s suite of privacy apps, which encrypt and secure users’ calls, text messages and address books. How hack-proof and secure the phone and the apps are yet to be tested although. Much like other premium smartphones, the Blackphone packs mostly the latest hardware which includes a 4.7-inch HD screen, a 2 GHz quad-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera and 16 gigabytes of storage. The smartphone has been priced at $629 for an unlocked version and if it really can do what is claims then the device isn’t expensive. But if it doesn’t, then it’s just another fancy Android smartphone with a big price-tag. Those who wish to buy one can pre-order the Blackphone from its official website and the company will start shipping it by June.
[Pre-order at Blackphone]