Boeing's new smartphone: Secure enough for James Bond?
| NEW YORK
Boeing聽Co on Wednesday unveiled a聽smartphone聽that appears to come straight from a James Bond spy movie.
In addition to encrypting calls, any attempt to open the casing of the Boeing聽Black聽Smartphone聽deletes all data and renders the device inoperable.
The secure phone marks an extension of the communications arm of the聽Chicago-based aerospace and defense contractor, which is best known for jetliners and fighter planes.
Such a phone might have prevented damage to Washington's diplomacy in聽Ukraine聽from a leaked telephone call. A senior U.S. State Department officer and the ambassador to聽Ukraine聽apparently used unencrypted cellphones for a call about political developments in聽Ukraine聽that became public.
Boeing's tamper-proof phone is aimed at government agencies and contractors who need to keep communication and data secure, according to Boeing聽and filings with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.
Made in the聽United States, the phone runs on Google Inc's聽Android聽operating system. The 5.2-by-2.7-inch (13.2-by-6.9 cm) handset, slightly larger than an聽iPhone, uses dual SIM cards to enable it to access multiple cell networks instead of a single network like a normal cellphone.
Due to the phone's security features, Boeing聽is releasing few details about the wireless network operators or manufacturer it is working with, and has not provided a price or date by which the phone might be widely available, but said it has begun offering the phone to potential customers.
Boeing's website says the phone can be configured to connect with biometric sensors or satellites. Other attachments can extend battery life or use solar power.
The phone can operate on the WCDMA, GSM and LTE frequency bands and offers WiFi and聽Bluetooth听肠辞苍苍别肠迟颈惫颈迟测.
The company has been developing the phone for 36 months, said Boeing聽spokeswoman聽Rebecca Yeamans.
"We saw a need for our customers in a certain market space" that Boeing聽could meet with its technology expertise, she said.
A sample purchase contract submitted to the FCC says the phone would be sold directly by Boeing聽or its agents.
Yeamans said Boeing聽combined its own engineers with the talent of people who joined Boeing聽recently through acquisitions that included Argon ST Inc,聽Digital Receiver Technology Inc,聽Kestrel Enterprises Inc,聽Ravenwing Inc, and Solutions Made Simple Inc.
