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Canadian mobile company BlackBerry Ltd. is working with Boeing Co. on a smartphone made for privacy-minded government agents, it announced Friday. The Boeing Black, as its called, is capable of self-destructing if it is tampered with.
“We're pleased to announce that Boeing is collaborating
with BlackBerry to provide a secure mobile solution for Android devices
utilizing our BES 12 platform," BlackBerry CEO John Chen said on a
conference call held to discuss its mixed third quarter results. "That, by the way, is all they allow me to say.”
BlackBerry and Boeing’s smartphone encrypts communications
as well as its stored data, such as sensitive photos or emails. The
Boeing Black has space for two SIM cards, used to connect to multiple
wireless networks, such as one for government calls and another for
civilian communications.
Boeing, the the aerospace and defense contractor best known
for its airplanes, markets the smartphone to government agencies and
others who need to keep snooping to a minimum. BlackBerry’s Boeing Black
is assembled in the U.S., from parts manufactured around the world.
The spy-phone boasts a chunky 13.25mm-thick body, almost
double the depth found in Apple Inc.’s latest iPhone. The large frame
allows it to be custom configured to include biometric sensors --
including fingerprint scanners -- and communication with satellites.
The Boeing Black operates on BlackBerry’s Enterprise Service,
or BES 12, which allows companies and government agencies to secure and
manage Android, iPhone and BlackBerry devices securely on their
internal networks.
It’s not the phone of choice for James Bond, however. Sony
Pictures has had a long-standing deal with its parent company to feature
the Xperia line of smartphones in Bond films.
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