Boeing is busy developing a highly secure Android smartphone aimed at defence and intelligence agencies, according to an announcement from the company earlier this week.
The “Boeing phone” is apparently nearing the end of its development cycle and is expected to become available near the end of 2012, according to Boeing’s Brian Palma. The choice to develop an Android-based handset was made “to drive down towards a lower price point, but … not mass-market price point.” Nonetheless Boeing is expecting some interest from the commercial world.
Similar encrypted devices, which are currently available and use proprietary hardware and software, reportedly have a price point between $15,000 and $20,000.
President of Boeing Network and Space Systems Roger Krone said, while referring to smartphones, that “We are all living off this thing. And we’re not going back. In fact the next one I have is going to be thinner, smaller and have more capability.”
Whether the cellular handset will actually carry Boeing’s branding has not yet been decided, nor has the company revealed who their development partners are.
Source: National Defense Magazine