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BlackBerry says its new Android smartphone is the most secure in the world

By James Lu - on 27 Jul 2016, 12:28am

BlackBerry says its new Android smartphone is the most secure in the world

 

BlackBerry announced a new Android smartphone today, the DTEK50. The keyboard-less device has a 5.2-inch Full HD display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 processor with 3GB RAM. On the back of the phone you get a 13-megapixel camera, while on the front there's a 8-megapixel camera for selfies. The front camera even has an LED flash. 

BlackBerry is hoping to set the DTEK50 apart from other mid-range Android phones by packing it with high-tech security to protect you from malware and attempted security intrusions. The device will come preloaded with BlackBerry's DTEK software, which BlackBerry says is a modified version of the security technology originally developed for its own BB10 platform. The software will scan the device for malware and also give users an overview of the device's security, as well as advise on any potential issues.

The full suite of security features found in the DTEK50 includes:

  • Rapid Security Patching: BlackBerry has a record of being the quickest to deliver security patches, setting the bar in incident response and patch management to protect your device from malicious threats.
  • DTEK™ by BlackBerry App: Enables users to automatically monitor their OS and apps to know when their privacy could be at risk and to take action to improve it. The DTEK app also tracks applications and notifies you when someone is: taking pictures or videos without your knowledge, turning your microphone on, sending a text message, or accessing your contacts or location.
  • Hardware Root of Trust: BlackBerry’s manufacturing process uses a proprietary technique that adds security from the start, allowing for the tracking, verification and provisioning of DTEK50.
  • Secure Boot Process: Starting with the root of trust, each stage of DTEK50’s secure boot chain must first verify that the next component is fully intact before proceeding, ensuring your device has not been tampered with since the last restart.
  • Android OS hardening: BlackBerry provides additional security patches, improved random number, address space generation and certificate pinning to make it more difficult for attackers to target a device by scrambling application/system memory.
  • FIPS 140-2 Compliant Full Disk Encryption: Protects your private information, like pictures or bank information, from being stolen if you were to lose your phone.

The DTEK50 will also include a number of BlackBerry enhancements including BlackBerry's intelligent keyboard, which learns from your typing patterns and will suggest commonly used words as you type, and BlackBerry Hub, a unified inbox and message center. 

The DTEK50 is available for pre-order today on ShopBlackBerry.com in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and The Netherlands for US$299 (~S$406). Local availability will be announced soon. From now until 9th August, customers who pre-order a DTEK50 on ShopBlackBerry.com will also receive a complimentary BlackBerry Mobile Power Pack, a high-capacity portable charger worth US$59.99.

BlackBerry also mentioned that it will be releasing three smartphones in the near future and, while the DTEK50 does not have a keyboard, more traditional BlackBerry fans will be pleased to learn that the company has not abandoned keyboards and there will be devices in the future with physical keyboards.

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