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Vertu's latest luxury Android phone is built for jetsetters
Luxury smartphone maker Vertu may have undergone some operational changes over the past couple of years, but that doesn't mean it has broken the tradition of selling people expensive Android smartphones. With its latest update to the premium Constellation handset, the company is targeting the "global traveller" with support for dual SIMs (for the first time) and access to iPass, the world's largest WiFi network.
People aren't buying privacy-focused smartphones
It looks as if the demand for smartphones that actively protect your privacy is significantly smaller than anyone expected. A lengthy investigation over at Forbes has looked into the troubles at Silent Circle and the news isn't good. The company that produces the Blackphone has recently cut a fifth of its workforce and is embroiled in litigation with Geeksphone. The reason behind all of this turmoil is very simple: the company believed that it'd sell hundreds of thousands privacy-protecting smartphones that nobody actually wanted.
Privacy-focused Blackphone 2 is ready for pre-order
Blackphone 2, the second iteration of Silent Circle's privacy-focused handset, is now available for pre-order -- assuming you don't mind reserving a device without knowing its price. The original Blackphone was sold at the flagship-level cost of $629, but remember, this one's more sophisticated than its predecessor, with its front and rear covered in glass. It has a 5.5-inch 1080p display, and inside, it boasts an octa-core processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. What makes it different from other phones with similar specs, though, is that it runs an Android-based platform called PrivatOS which has a suite of secure apps, including ones for encrypted messaging and voice calls.
Spain's first smartphone maker calls it quits
Geeksphone, the world's first Spanish smartphone maker, has decided to leave the phone business after nearly six years. The company has decided that, after developing six devices, that it has come to the "end of a cycle" and will stop making hardware. Instead, it'll open-source everything that it's able to for the benefit of the community and remain a viable concern to keep the lights on in its technical support division.
Blackphone to test new waters with privacy-minded tablet
After turning an ambitious plan into reality, the people behind the privacy-focused Blackphone are ready for a new adventure. During an interview with BBC Newsbeat, Jon Callas, co-founder of Silent Circle, which made the privacy-focused device in conjunction with Geeksphone, let it be known that the company will have a tablet in the near future. "Blackphone as it is, is our first device not our last device," Callas said. While he didn't reveal any more specific details, Callas did mention such tablet is already in the works and set to be coming "soon." The bigger hardware would likely bring similar features to the $629 Android phone, most of which is done with user privacy in mind first and foremost. One thing is for sure, it's going to be interesting to see what Blackphone does next.
Silent Circle expands its encrypted calling service to 79 countries
Silent Circle's mobile apps have helped make calls, messages and storing contacts more secure, but to enjoy its encryption benefits other people would need to use the same service. That could no longer be a problem for some, after the company announced its expanding its Silent Phone service to let users make truly private calls to non-Silent Circle members worldwide. While some users have been able to use the iOS and Android apps to make calls to standard mobile and landlines, like you would with Skype or Viber, Silent Circle's encrypted "Out-Circle" calling service was limited to users in a select number of countries. From today, subscribers enrolling in the service will be given a unique ten-digit Silent Phone number to make and receive calls in 79 countries without a roaming charge in sight. If you've ordered the Blackphone, you will, of course, be pre-subscribed to Silent Phone (although you'll have to set up Out-Circle separately) and the company's other anti-surveillance services. Starting at $12.95 for 100 minutes, Out-Circle isn't the cheapest package out there, but you can't put a price on privacy, right?
Privacy-focused Blackphone starts shipping for $630
If you missed our coverage during Mobile World Congress, then here's what you need to know about Blackphone: it's a mid-spec Android smartphone that comes pre-subscribed to (and pre-installed with) a bunch of privacy and anti-surveillance services, for a price of $629 off-contract. It's the offspring of a joint venture between Silent Circle and Geeksphone, who together have just announced that the first batch of devices is now shipping to customers who pre-ordered during the initial publicity rush. Everyone else will have the opportunity to place an order once general sales start on July 14th. Check out our hands-on video from MWC below, but bear in mind that the device was only at prototype stage back then, and it wasn't entirely stable.
Vertu's Signature Touch puts the luxury back into specs
It's been a year and a half since luxury phone maker Vertu ditched Symbian in favor of Android, thus slowly catching up with the rest of the mobile market. Its first Android phone, the Ti, fell behind the curve with its dual-core processor, tiny battery and low screen resolution; then the more affordable Constellation arrived with a larger screen but also let down by a similar chip. Somewhere along the line, though, Vertu finally decided "enough is enough." The result is this good-looking Signature Touch which, for a change, packs pretty much everything you'd expect on a modern flagship smartphone: a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 chip, a 4.7-inch 1080p display, Cat 4 LTE radio (with bands covering many parts of the world), NFC plus Qi wireless charging.
Blackphone offers a mostly secure Android-based smartphone for $629
In a perfect world, everybody's sure their right to privacy is honored. Since that's not the case, people tend to whip up special tools for protection, like the Blackphone -- a privacy-focused device whose thick veil of mystery has now been lifted at Mobile World Congress. Its creators (SGP Technologies, made up of Silent Circle and Geeksphone) said very little when the shadowy phone was announced in January, but we now know that it'll retail at $629 unlocked and has similar specs to comparably-priced Android devices. While its final components might be altered later, right now the developers are aiming to equip the device with a 2GHz quad-core processor, 4.7-inch HD IPS display, LTE connectivity, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage (no microSD card slot in sight), 8-megapixel rear and 1.3-megapixel front cameras. The Blackphone will come loaded with a derivative version of Android called PrivatOS that's supposedly more secure, and it'll be bundled with two-year subscriptions to a few privacy tools. These include Silent Circle's encrypted app suite (for messages, calls and contacts), a VPN, anonymous search and browsing tools, and secure cloud storage. You'll also get a free Wi-Fi analyzer and a remote wipe and recovery tool. Plus, if you place very little faith in carriers -- the Blackphone will work with any GSM carrier, though it's partnered with KPN Mobile in Europe for launch -- you'll be happy that the creators will issue software updates directly. Now, if you're looking for a foolproof device to shield you from stalkers, hackers or, you know, government agencies, it may best to wait for more info before shelling out your cash. We still don't know whether the phone touts secure hardware, and you can only text or call people through Silent Circle's apps if they're users, as well. Sure, the device comes with one-year subscriptions to the app suite for three friends and family, but that certainly won't cover all your contacts. Also, the security only lasts as long as you use those apps -- which will cost you and your friends after the first twelve months. Blackphone general manager Toby Weir-Jones even said: "We've never made the claim we're offering an NSA-proof device, but we are offering a tool that makes a huge difference to someone who's using no privacy tools at all." With that ringing endorsement, who wouldn't want one? Good thing you can pre-order one right now and get your paws on it sometime in June.
Back off, NSA: Blackphone promises to be the first privacy-focused smartphone
You may never have heard of Geeksphone, unless you take a particular interest in Firefox OS, but the Spanish manufacturer could be about to garner some global attention. It says it'll launch a new handset at Mobile World Congress next month that will prioritize privacy and security instead of all the intrusions that smartphone users usually have to put up with from carriers, advertisers and the occasional government agency. We're looking at an Android-based phone with a "top performing" processor and a cellular module that will be unlocked, free of geographical restrictions and compatible with any GSM network. In place of carrier bloatware, we're promised a skin called "PrivatOS" that will allow you to make and receive secure phone calls and text messages, store files securely and browse the web privately through an anonymous VPN -- services that are largely already available from Silent Circle, which happens to be a key partner on the Blackphone project. That's pretty much all we know for now, but pre-orders will begin sometime during the last week of February, and by then we hope to have hands-on impressions and a better understanding of how Blackphone will be different to BlackBerry encryption, Samsung's Knox service and other more established rivals.
Lavabit hopes to kickstart Dark Mail protocol by raising $200,000
When Lavabit and Silent Circle announced Dark Mail, they mentioned their goal of getting more providers to use the secure email protocol. To make that happen, Lavabit founder Ladar Levison has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the clean up and release of his defunct email service's source code. Dark Mail's tech encrypts a digital missive's body and metadata to keep them safe from prying eyes. However, as the encryption only works if emails are sent and received from Dark Mail-capable accounts, the project also aims to build open source desktop clients and mobile apps. Before anyone who wants to tinker with Lavabit's code gets excited, though, know that the firm will first have to get past a huge hurdle. The campaign has a lofty funding goal of $196,608, and its decidedly stark Kickstarter page isn't doing it any favors.
Dark Mail Alliance develops surveillance-proof email technology
We wouldn't be surprised if you're looking for a more secure email provider after the whole government surveillance debacle. That's why Lavabit and Silent Circle have joined forces as the Dark Mail Alliance to develop a new snoop-proof email technology. Dark Mail's "Email 3.0" tech applies peer-to-peer encryption not only to the body of the digital missive, but also to its metadata (To:, From: and Subject fields) that third parties are most likely to collect. One downside is that encryption only works between Dark Mail accounts -- messages sent using the tech to Gmail or a Hotmail addresses won't be protected from prying eyes. If the two firms sound familiar, that's because they used to offer secure email services of their own, which shuttered earlier this year. However, they're determined to rise from the ashes and make the tech available to the public via mobile and desktop apps by 2014. [Image credit: g4ll4is, Flickr]
Vertu's new Constellation is its second Android phone, and you still can't afford it
With the Ti liberating Vertu from the Symbian shackles, it was only a matter of time before the luxury phone maker released its second Android device. The Constellation, as it's called (instead of "Constellation V" as listed by the FCC), takes a small but bold step away from Vertu's usual design language, as it lacks the iconic ceramic pillow on the earpiece. What it gains instead is the largest piece of tough sapphire glass that Vertu -- or any phone maker for that matter -- has ever crafted, as well as a layer of soft but durable calf leather wrapping around the Grade 5 titanium body. It'll also come in five colors: dark brown, orange (our favorite so far), black, light brown and cherry. Vertu's CEO Massimiliano Pogliani told us that this "less is more" approach is to have a more neutral, less showy offer that he believes will appeal to a larger audience. "It tested extremely well [in study groups] in China and Russia," said the exec. "In terms of design and appearance, it is being luxury but not too bling, too wild, too pushy, so I'm very happy and very confident."
Silent Circle follows Lavabit's example, shuts down its secure email service
Silent Circle's thing has always been the promise of end-to-end secure communications, and that drive is apparently causing it to shut down the Silent Mail email service. Reasons cited in a blog post by CTO Jon Callas include the insecure nature of email protocols and preemptively avoiding the outside (read: FISA) pressures that prompted Lavabit to close its doors. Silent Circle says it hadn't received any "subpoenas, warrants, security letters, or anything else". Still, CEO Michael Janke tells TechCrunch he believed the government would come knocking due to certain high profile users of the service. Its phone, video and text products remain operational and claim to be "secure as ever", if you're wondering.
Silent Circle's encryption app could revolutionize mobile privacy, if Uncle Sam lets it
If CEO Mike Janke's boasts are to be believed, his company Silent Circle and its eponymous encryption apps could stand to "revolutionize... privacy and security." And he's willing to push the tech forward at all costs, even if that means raising the ire of the federal government. While the feds have yet to officially weigh in on his startup's novel software -- and Janke's certain they will -- others who've tested the peer-to-peer service's new Silent Text app claim its benefits for human rights activism worldwide far outweigh its potential use as a criminal aid. This isn't the company's first crack at the mobile security space, though. A prior version of Silent Circle's subscription-based app was released last fall, granting Android and iOS users secure transmission of texts, as well as voice and video calls. But now, the controversial app in question has been beefed up, adding the ability to send encrypted files (up to 60MB) with a set "burn" (read: deletion) time. And since Silent Circle doesn't host the required encryption key on its servers, there's no way for the company to access users' data. What's more, the company's also pledged to not cooperate with surveillance requests from law enforcement, nor will it compromise the service's integrity by introducing a "backdoor" for the FBI. That's a mighty strong stance to take against Uncle Sam, but Janke's not concerned. If the United States government does eventually prove an impediment, he's ready to move Silent Circle's shop to a locale that understands "...every [citizens'] right to communicate... without the fear of it being... used by criminals, stored by governments, and aggregated by companies that sell it." Based on that quote alone, we'd say Janke's what you might call a freedom fighter. For now, the souped up app's set to launch on the App Store February 8th, with an Android release to follow soon after. When it lands, we'd advise you to get it while it's hot -- preferably, before Capitol Hill deems it too hot to handle.
Silent Circle to offer secure, private iPhone operation
Two former Navy SEALs have teamed up with cryptographers including PGP developer Phil Zimmermann to develop an iPhone app to provide military-level encryption for unlimited VoIP phone calls, texts, email and video for US$20 per month. Silent Circle debuts on the App Store next week, filled with a bag of tricks that make it virtually impossible for identity thieves -- or governments -- to tap into your conversations. In a post about the app on Buzzfeed, blogger Russell Brandom notes that warrantless domestic wiretapping is a "matter of record by now," and that last year "1.3 million cell records were pulled by law enforcement, covering anything from stored text messages to location-tracking data." Silent Circle uses a "portable code room" model that performs all encryption on the iPhone. The keys to unscramble the data are deleted at the completion of each call, so the call can't be decoded after the fact. Silent Circle also stores use logs with minimal user data in Canada and Switzerland, where privacy laws make it difficult for even that info -- which does not include any of the encrypted conversations -- to be released to law enforcement officials. A feature called Burn Notice allows users to send self-destructing texts and photos to friends. Send a potentially embarrassing image or text to a pal during a drunken party, and it's erased in five minutes. Politicians and celebrities are sure to find this feature to be very helpful. While such powerful encryption technology could be used by drug cartels or terrorists, Silent Circle is primarily targeted to individuals or companies concerned about identity or intellectual property theft. At present, the US law that allows wiretapping -- the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act -- does not cover VoIP communications. Law enforcement agencies have been pushing for an update to the law, and any change could eventually outlaw Silent Circle. For the time being, the app will provide highly secure communications to anyone with the need.
