Siemens SL74X $2,000 encrypted cordless phone
Want the convenience of a portable phone with the security of encrypted calls? You can have it, for a price. Siemens has announced the Gigaset SL74X, a version of the company's Gigaset SL74 cameraphone/MMS cordless handset (pictured), which will include AES-CBC 128-bit encryption for voice calls. Siemens is pitching the phone, which will sell for $2,000 (or about $3,600 for a two-pack, since just one is kind of useless) to government officials and others who might be concerned about bugs or eavesdropping. "With this phone, they can step out, say, onto an outdoor balcony or even the street and make a call," says one Siemens exec. Of course, if you're that worried that your home or office is bugged, we doubt this phone is going to do you a whole lot of good, unless you're prepared to take all of your face-to-face meetings out into the street as well.
