With the FBI getting access to iPhones, and apps like Waze being used to track people's locations, you've got to wonder just how safe and secure your smartphone is... or isn't. When you consider everything you do on your phone, from taking and sharing pictures to mobile banking, keeping your information safe is a crucial step that may seem out of your hands.
Luckily, one company looks to alleviate these worries by creating a smartphone similar to the Blackphone (now the Blackphone 2)—a device totally dedicated to keeping your private stuff private.
The UnaPhone Zenith is a smartphone created by Una Inc. Ltd, based in the United Kingdom. It's billed as the "first truly secure and private Android smartphone without any compromises."
As stated in their recently launched Indiegogo campaign, the UnaPhone Zenith runs UnaOS, a more fortified and secure operating system based on Android 6.0, with two major exceptions lending to increased privacy and security.
Firstly, there are no Google apps of any sort on the device. Secondly, the remaining system framework has undergone modifications which cloak its information from phone carriers, but also includes patches preventing data mining. This was done in collaboration with Tutanota, known for their work in secure email services.
With regards to device specs, the UnaPhone Zenith contains 32 GB of internal storage which can be expanded with microSD cards up to 256 GB. There's 4 GB of RAM, dual SIM card support, and a USB Type C port available. In terms of power, that comes from a 3000 mAH Li-POL battery which can be charged wirelessly (with Qi wireless pads to quick charge). Additionally, the Zenith also has front and rear cameras (8 MP and 13 MP, respectively) and a full HD display with multitouch capability.
One point of interest is that the UnaPhone Zenith, in order to maintain their goal of giving you a totally secure smartphone, does not allow any installation of third-party apps. Outside search engines, including Google, aren't allowed to protect against data mining. Instead, the phone comes complete with a suite of over forty apps engineered by UnaOS and Tutanota, including encrypted SMS and a stingray detector. There's also a dedicated OTA channel that's encrypted for device updates.
The campaign does leave the door open slightly for the discussion of other third-party apps, but not much else.
The UnaPhone Zenith campaign is currently seeking backers with a month to go. If the idea of having a completely fortified smartphone intrigues you, backing packages begin at $439 for the phone itself (which is slightly better than the $20,000 Sirin Labs want for their secure phone).
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