Need a secure and private smartphone? Samart Corporation's Blackphone2 could be high on your list to keep your networks safe from hackers.
Samart I-Mobile, the company's handset distribution flagship, yesterday unveiled what it calls a privacy smartphone, Blackphone2, to accommodate the mobile banking and e-payment phenomenon and the proliferation of mobile shopping, and ensure data protection on mobile devices.
"As mobile phones have increasingly become tools that consumers use to conduct their financial activities, data security has become a more crucial area of concern for all smartphone users," said Samart Corporation president Watchai Vilailuck.
Information and cybersecurity-focused services will be Samart Group's new engine of growth this year, he said.
Samart I-Mobile, through its new affiliate company Zecure Asia Co, has been appointed as an exclusive distributor for Blackphone2 from Silent Circle, the maker of the privacy-enabled Blackphone with enterprise security platform.
"We also obtained the exclusive right to distribute Blackphone2 in Indochina, which includes Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar," Mr Watchai said.
Phil Zimmermann, co-founder of Silent Circle, a cryptography and security systems expert, said the rapid changes of digital technologies have increased the need for privacy to protect sensitive personal information and intellectual property.
Blackphone2, coming to Thailand for the first time, is a privacy smartphone equipped with an advanced protection system that helps secure stored data and prevent unauthorised people from assessing it.
"Thailand is our first country in Southeast Asia to launch Blackphone2," said Gregg Smith, chief executive of Silent Circle. "We foresee vast opportunities within the strong smartphone usage here from the phone's uniqueness in data protection."
In addition, Blackphone2 also provides the Burn Notice feature that allows user to decide how long a message is available before it is deleted from both the sending and the receiving device for up to 90 days.
The Android-based Blackphone2, priced at 22,900 baht apiece, is equipped with Silent Circle's operating system, developed by the company itself.
This is the second iteration of the Silent Circle's Blackphone, developed by SGT Technologies and released in 2014.
Mr Watchai said the Blackphone2 is suitable for people who want to keep their records private and secure, such as politicians, public officers, celebrities, investors and soldiers
"We expect revenue from the sales of Blackphone2 to reach 300 million baht."
Mr Watchai also said Samart plans to expand its collaboration with Silent Circle into enterprise cybersecurity systems and applications to accommodate increasing cybersecurity concerns among industries.
Meanwhile, Samart I-Mobile is preparing to roll out its new I-Mobile smartphone by March, coming up with privacy-focused features supplied from Silent Circle.
He said Samart I-Mobile will work closely with its parent firm Samart as part of the group's digital transformation strategy, in order to serve rapid technological changes and the manifestation of digital services and emerging technologies, such as Internet of Things.
"We're confident that Samart I-Mobile will see positive growth this year after facing revenue contraction last year, with half of total revenue coming from smartphone sales," Mr Watchai said.