Silent Circle has revealed a followup to the privacy minded BlackPhone at Mobile World Congress 2015 in Barcelona, Spain. The BlackPhone 2 is a response to the greater amount of government surveillance and hacking attempts in the world. It runs on a forked version of Google’s Android OS, and is currently caters to an enterprise market looking for more secure communications.
The BlackPhone 2 has a Full HD 5.5-inch display, with a 64-bit octa-core processor of unknown specifications. Other known specifications are 3GB RAM, a microSD card slot, and a 3,060 mAh battery. The Android based PrivatOS 1.1 features the ability to compartmentalise the operation of apps by creating secure operating spaces. This allows it to increase security by limiting the amount of the system that each app is able to access.
All that is known about Silent Circle’s BlackPhone+ is that it is a 7-inch tablet. No other details have been provided, but it should be running on the same PrivatOS system as its smaller cousin. There is a “extended alpha beta programme” that will run with partners and Silent Circle is expecting to have the tablet out by autumn.
Silent Circle is preparing to challenge BlackBerry by providing a secure mobile experience, but one that is based on the more popular Android. It is not an entirely bad idea considering the number of people who are now more familiar with Google’s OS. That being said, it is difficult so say just how secure the company can make Android, as the nature of the OS tends to leave it with security holes. Not to mention the lack of security on the telco side.
The BlackPhone 2 will be made available for US$649 (about RM2340), although there has been no release date mentioned just yet.
[Source: GSMarena]
