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Silent Circle's Blackphone 2 to support Android for Work

By Koh Wanzi - on 31 Jul 2015, 11:47am

Silent Circle's Blackphone 2 to support Android for Work

Image Source: Silent Circle

Silent Circle has announced that the Blackphone 2, its next-generation privacy-oriented smartphone, will support Google’s Android for Work program.

Google first introduced Android for Work in February, with the intention of creating a program that would make it easier for businesses to manage and enhance security for employees’ devices. Android for Work support could also mean that Blackphone 2 users will gain additional ways to securely demarcate and manage work and personal data on the same phone.

Silent Circle’s Silent OS (a custom version of Android) already offers something called Spaces, which allows users to create self-contained partitions on the same device and essentially have multiple virtual devices on the same phone. Work-related data and apps could be kept separate from your personal ones, ensuring that they remain secure and private in a different area.

Blackphone 2 will use an updated version of Spaces that will support Android for Work, which lets users separate business apps from personal ones and set up a dedicated work profile. This is a win-win solution for both employees and IT departments – IT will be able to securely manage work data and wipe it if needed, while employees’ personal data will remain unaffected. As a result, there’s no need for a second device to keep the two separate, which is surely a huge boon.

The Blackphone 2 is equipped with a 1.7GHz octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of onboard storage. There will also be a microSD card slot that can take cards up to 128GB. The display has been bumped up to a 5.5-inch Full HD IPS display, up from 4.7-inch HD display on the previous Blackphone. Support for 802.11ac Wi-Fi has been added, and the rear camera has been upgraded to a 13MP shooter.

Finally, the Blackphone 2 will now support Google Play and Google Mobile services, putting a range of popular productivity apps within the reach of users. The new phone is scheduled for a release in September.

Source: Silent Circle

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