Among the releases at this years Mobile World Congress, the Blackphone was officially released for pre-orders. The Blackphone, made by SGP Technologies – a joint venture of Silent Circle and Geeksphone – is dubbed as “the world’s first smartphone which places privacy and control directly in the hands of its users.”¹ SGP Technologies worked incredibly fast, as the Blackphone was only announced in January.

The phone, perhaps a response to the fallout from the NSA’s PRISM, is arguably the most secure, private phone available. But how exactly does the hardware protect you private information? According to the same release:

Blackphone includes a unique combination of operating system and application tools which offer unparalleled security and privacy to information workers, executives, public figures, and anyone else unwilling to cede ownership of their privacy to other authorities.  Blackphone’s PrivatOS, built on Android™, and combined with a full suite of privacy-enabled applications, allows users to regain control over their communications activities.  No longer will the use of a smartphone demand acceptance of unauthorized surveillance, commercial exploitation of activity data, and the loss of privacy, security and fundamental human rights.²

The company’s website made a chart that shows how PrivatOS stacks up against stock Android:

The device itself has some pretty solid specs:

• 4.7″ HD IPS Screen
• >2 GHz Quad Core CPU
• 2 GB RAM
• 16 GB Storage
• LTE
• HSPA+
• Front camera >8Mpx with flash, plus rear camera.³

The Blackphone is set to begin shipping in June of 2014, and is available for pre-order with a price of $629.