BlackBerry may have just recently explored the possibilities of a secure Android smartphone, but few would have heard of a company called Silent Circle and its Blackphone device. Using a highly secure forked version of Android, the latest version of the Blackphone, simply called the Blackphone 2, is now available in Malaysia.
Unveiled earlier this year at MWC 2015, the Blackphone 2 is powered by SilentOS, a forked version of Android developed by Silent Circle, a US company now based in Switzerland. It features full-disk encryption by default, with enterprise-level security; after all, the Blackphone isn’t actually meant as a consumer device, but rather for corporate clients.
SilentOS is not only bloatware-free, it is also preloaded with a few apps that are designed to be secure from the ground up. One such feature is Spaces, which creates separate “virtual phones” within the single device, where no data is shared between the virtual spaces. This essentially allows users to have separate work and personal devices hosted in a single smartphone.
Besides that, there’s also Security Centre, which puts the device’s privacy settings within easy reach. Here, users can easily configure settings for each individual Spaces on the phone, manage which apps live in which Space, and fine tune app permissions. Silent Circle also claims that SilentOS has the world’s fastest vulnerability management – critical vulnerabilities are patched within 72 hours, and are sent direct from Silent Circle.
(Image: Ars Technica)
SilentOS also sports two unique apps called Silent Phone, a peer-to-peer audio, video call and messaging platform; and Smarter WiFi, which helps users avoid risks associated with unsecure WiFi networks.
As for the device itself, the Blackphone 2 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 1.7GHz processor with 3GB of RAM, a 5.5-inch Full HD display, 32GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD), 13MP front and 5MP rear cameras, and a 3,060mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0.
The Blackphone 2 is now available in Malaysia via Dialog Hub, the official distributor in Malaysia. It is currently available on Dialog Hub’s e-store on 11Street, at a retail price of RM3,599. Each purchase of the Blackphone 2 also comes with a year’s subscription of Silent Suite, which includes several exclusive features such as encrypted international calling.
(Source: Amanz)
