Silent Circle has finally unveiled the revamped Blackphone, the Blackphone 2, on Monday, Sept. 28. The new device boasts of improved security features, which the company's previous handset has been known for. The new Blackphone model helps users to better manage important personal information, and the launch date comes at about the same time BlackBerry has confirmed its first Android smartphone, the BlackBerry Priv.
The Blackphone 2 is running the Silent OS, which is based on the Android Lollipop operating system. The device retails for $800 and has already been made available in the U.S. According to a BBC report, Silent Circle's only handset allows its owners to manage data sharing using the phone's security centre. This also lets them tweak app settings for the ones they use of their handsets.
"At the moment it's often about accepting everything or denying all the app permission requests," said Silent Circle head of engineering, David Puron. "We wanted it to be more fine-grained than that." Puron added that users can set up different virtual "spaces" for permissions to customize their apps depending on how they use their handsets, whether for personal, work or play. The Blackphone 2 also allows message encryption by default. The security firm has also said that it will promptly address flaws in the new smartphone, promising to deliver bug fixes within 72 hours of discovering flaws.
It's often a question of whether or not a smartphone brand can establish a niche in a mobile business dominated by the likes of Apple and Samsung. Startups are also becoming more popular in the market as affordable alternatives to high-end handsets. Puron pointed out that among 1.5 billion smartphone users this year, the market Blackphone can cater to is small. But he also said of Blackphone's niche, "There are always going to be paranoid users that feel they need a higher level of privacy, which is something the encryption on the Blackphone offers."
Ars Technica has noted the improvements Silent Circle has made on the second-generation flagship. The Blackphone 2 is equipped with a 13-megapixel and 15-megapixel front and back cameras. The hardware with which the smartphone runs is also said to be "more standard". The site called the Silent OS, which runs the phone, "by no means your standard android."
