The recent NSA spying revelations, courtesy of Edward Snowden, have made many people think about their online and mobile privacy, prompting the partnership between Silent Circle and Geeksphone and resulting in the privacy-centred Blackphone. The partners may have announced their intent in January this year but February is when we get a closer look at the device’s specs and software features.
The Blackphone is a 4.7-inch smartphone with a quad-core SoC (System on Chip) running at 2.GHz, 2GB of system RAM, 16GB of storage and an 8MP camera. The device supports 802.11 n WiFi, LTE and Bluetooth 4.0 but these are just the hardware specifications which will set the user back $630 (R6,800) plus shipping.
Blackphone will also ship with an Android-based operating system called PrivatOS which introduces a range of privacy and tracking circumvention features and apps to users that are not found in a standard Android OS.
In addition to the base set of privacy features buyers will get various subscription services from Silent Circle, Disconnect or SpiderOak that will further enhance their online disappearing act. Subscriptions to the various services could bump the price up to $1504 (R16,250) but the Blackphone will be throwing in the various subs at no extra charge.
The Blackphone is available for pre-order now, with the first handsets being shipped to buyers in June this year. It might be a good idea to get your order in if you’re feeling hidden eyes on your internet habits.
Source: Blackphone via The Verge