{"id":5889,"date":"2014-07-02T10:00:32","date_gmt":"2014-07-02T14:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.nccomputertech.com\/?p=5889"},"modified":"2014-07-02T10:00:32","modified_gmt":"2014-07-02T14:00:32","slug":"exclusive-a-review-of-the-blackphone-the-android-for-the-paranoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/07\/02\/exclusive-a-review-of-the-blackphone-the-android-for-the-paranoid\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: A review of the Blackphone, the Android for the paranoid"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Based on some recent experience, I’m of the opinion that smartphones are about as private as a gas station bathroom. They’re full of leaks, prone to surveillance, and what security they do have comes from using really awkward keys. While there are tools available to help improve the security and privacy of smartphones, they’re generally intended for enterprise customers. No one has had a real one-stop solution: a smartphone pre-configured for privacy that anyone can use without being a cypherpunk.<\/p>\n

That is, until now. The Blackphone is the first consumer-grade smartphone to be built explicitly for privacy. It pulls together a collection of services and software that are intended to make covering your digital assets simple\u2014or at least more straightforward. The product of SGP Technologies, a joint venture between the cryptographic service Silent Circle and the specialty mobile hardware manufacturer Geeksphone, the Blackphone starts shipping to customers who preordered it sometime this week. It will become available for immediate purchase online shortly afterward.<\/p>\n

Specs at a glance: Blackphone<\/p>\n

SCREEN 4.7″ IPS HD<\/p>\n

OS PrivatOS (Android 4.4 KitKat fork)<\/p>\n

CPU 2GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 4i<\/p>\n

RAM 1GB LPDDR3 RAM<\/p>\n

GPU Tegra 4i GPU<\/p>\n

STORAGE 16GB with MicroSD slot<\/p>\n

NETWORKING 802.11b\/g\/n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, GPS<\/p>\n

PORTS Micro USB 3.0, headphones<\/p>\n

CAMERA 8MP rear camera with AF, 5MP front camera<\/p>\n

SIZE 137.6mm x 69.1mm x 8.38mm<\/p>\n

WEIGHT 119g<\/p>\n

BATTERY 2000 mAh<\/p>\n

STARTING PRICE $629 unlocked<\/p>\n

OTHER PERKS Bundled secure voice\/video\/text\/file sharing, VPN service, and other security tools.<\/p>\n

Dan Goodin and I got an exclusive opportunity to test Blackphone for Ars Technica in advance of its commercial availability. I visited SGP Technologies\u2019 brand new offices in National Harbor, Maryland, to pick up mine from CEO Toby Weir-Jones; Dan got his personally delivered by CTO Jon Callas in San Francisco. We had two goals in our testing. The first was to test just how secure the Blackphone is using the tools I\u2019d put to work recently in exploring mobile device security vulnerabilities. The second was to see if Blackphone, with all its privacy armor, was ready for the masses and capable of holding its own against other consumer handsets.<\/p>\n

We found that Blackphone lives up to its privacy hype. During our testing in a number of scenarios, there was little if any data leakage that would give any third-party observer anything usable in terms of private information.<\/p>\n

As far as its functionality as a consumer device goes, Blackphone still has a few rough edges. We were working with \u201crelease candidate\u201d versions of the phone\u2019s operating system and applications, so it would be unfair to judge their stability too harshly. But since the Google ecosystem of applications (Chrome, Google Play, and other Google-branded features) was carved from PrivatOS, a privacy-focused fork of KitKat, it may feel like a step backward for some Android users\u2014and a breath of fresh air for others.<\/p>\n

Full Story: Exclusive: A review of the Blackphone, the Android for the paranoid | Ars Technica<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Based on some recent experience, I’m of the opinion that smartphones are about as private as a gas station bathroom. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,7,10],"tags":[65,136,849,852],"class_list":["post-5889","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hardware","category-security","category-technology","tag-android","tag-blackphone","tag-privacy","tag-privatos"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/papNkV-1wZ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6841,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/11\/14\/mozilla-blasts-at-android-and-ios-for-lack-of-openness\/","url_meta":{"origin":5889,"position":0},"title":"Mozilla blasts at Android and iOS for lack of openness","author":"NCCT","date":"November 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Mozilla has accused Google and Apple of not being transparent with their mobile technologies and misusing their dominant positions. Google's Android and Apple's iOS make up for the majority marketshare in smartphone OSes globally and Mozilla has shown concern over the irresponsible behavior of the companies by not being transparent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Apple"","block_context":{"text":"Apple","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/apple\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8892,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2016\/04\/18\/spotty-android-encryption-is-the-story-behind-the-story-of-apples-battle-with-the-fbi\/","url_meta":{"origin":5889,"position":1},"title":"Spotty Android encryption is the story behind the story of Apple\u2019s battle with the FBI","author":"NCCT","date":"April 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jonathan Keane | PCWorld Savvy Android users know that Apple\u2019s face-to-face with the FBI is only the beginning of the phone-encryption furor. Google CEO Sundar Pichai voiced his support for Apple and for strong and safe encryption, but he didn\u2019t give specifics on how Google would deal with this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Security"","block_context":{"text":"Security","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/security\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9380,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2018\/07\/22\/security-now-669-cellular-location-privacy\/","url_meta":{"origin":5889,"position":2},"title":"Security Now 669: Cellular Location Privacy","author":"NCCT","date":"July 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/p6FUiMEq6pA SCOTUS Cell Phone Location Privacy This week we examine some new side-channel worries and vulnerabilities, did Mandiant \"hack back\" on China?, more trouble with browsers, the big Google Firebase mess, sharing a bit of my dead system resurrection, and a look at the recent Supreme Court decision addressing cellular\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Networking"","block_context":{"text":"Networking","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/networking\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/p6FUiMEq6pA\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6071,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2014\/07\/30\/privacy-focused-tails-os-compromised-how-to-stay-safe-until-its-patched\/","url_meta":{"origin":5889,"position":3},"title":"Privacy-focused Tails OS compromised: How to stay safe until it’s patched","author":"NCCT","date":"July 30, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Vulnerabilities in the Tails operating system could reveal your IP address, but you can avoid trouble by taking a couple of precautions. Tails, a portable operating system that employs a host of privacy-focused components, plans to patch flaws contained in I2P, a networking tool developed by the Invisible Internet Project\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Security"","block_context":{"text":"Security","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/security\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8120,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/04\/29\/nokia-will-not-be-re-entering-the-smartphone-market\/","url_meta":{"origin":5889,"position":4},"title":"Nokia will not be re-entering the smartphone market","author":"NCCT","date":"April 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Last week, a rumor appeared that suggested Nokia was working to re-enter the smartphone market as early as next year, thanks to the efforts of a small team within the company's Technologies division. Considering mobile phones are a big part of Nokia's history, it wasn't hugely surprising to read that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Technology"","block_context":{"text":"Technology","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/technology\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":8617,"url":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/2015\/09\/11\/the-first-monthly-android-security-updates-start-rolling-out-for-nexus-devices\/","url_meta":{"origin":5889,"position":5},"title":"The first monthly Android security updates start rolling out for Nexus devices","author":"NCCT","date":"September 11, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Google has delivered on its promise to release monthly security updates today, with the first of said updates now rolling out to nearly all Nexus devices released in the past three years. The updates haven't been given their own Android version number, with Google instead opting to simply change the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Security"","block_context":{"text":"Security","link":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/category\/security\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5889","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5889"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5889\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5889"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5889"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nccomputertech.com\/techtalk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5889"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}