Aerospace giant Boeing is hard at work developing a super-secure Android phone that the U.S. government can use for defense and intelligence purposes, the company revealed to National Defense Magazine.
The device, dubbed “the Boeing phone,” will offer a more secure version of the open-source Android OS. Some manufacturers already offer encrypted mobile phones, but those devices cost between $15,000 to $20,000. Boeing will bring that price down while still making security for voice and data a serious priority.
“We are going to drive down towards a lower price point, but … not mass-market price point,” Boeing VP Brian Palma told National Defense Magazine. “We believe that there is significant interest in the defense side as well as the intelligence side and in the commercial world as well.”
Not only did Boeing choose Android because it could add extra layers of needed security, it also wants the device to have a consumer-like feel. By having the device feel more like a consumer device, it will be an easier sell for government employees to actively use them over non-secure devices.
The news is probably disheartening for already-hurting Research in Motion, which has tried to convince governments and companies that it has the most secure platform for mobile devices. The U.S. government does currently issue BlackBerry devices, but Android’s crazy level of flexibility does offer additional ways to boost security in a way that’s competitive.
Boeing’s Android phone will likely launch by late 2012. We’ll let you know when we hear more.
Boeing photo: prayitno/Flickr
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