Blackphone orders ship

Blackphone, a new smartphone obsessed with the idea of keeping users’ information private, saw its first set of orders ship on Monday.

More from Technology

The phone, which costs $629, was developed as a joint venture with Silent Circle and Geeksphone, was first unveiled in February. It has a sales pitch of putting a user’s security and privacy “ahead of everything else.”

The phone was created in response to Edward Snowden’s revealed details regarding the National Security Agency and its mass surveillance of Americans’ phone records.

In order to achieve a high level of security and privacy, the phone’s developers had to base the Blackphone on a unique version of the Android operating system, called PrivatOS. The new OS features built-in support for encryption of voice and video calls as well as text messaging.

The Blackphone will also prevent Wi-Fi hotspots from finding personal information. A new Security Center ability gives users total control over a variety of application permissions, including the ability to make web browsing anonymous.

Blackphone features a 4.7-inch HD IPS screen, a 2GHz Nvidia Tegra 4i CPU and 16GB of internal storage. It comes with two cameras, an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera. The phone comes unlocked, and will support LTE networks.

The phone is currently sold out online, but new orders will be available for purchase starting July 14.

What do you think of this new Blackphone that puts security “ahead of everything else”? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, and let us know.