Gadgetory

it's a smartphone for those who put secure communications above all we had a look at it in Barcelona back in February and now we're going hands-on in the pocket now review booth I'm Michael Fisher with PocketNow join us as we unbox blackphone the handheld that looks to take mobile privacy to the next level our review unit comes to us from our friends at GSM nation a premium smartphone retailer and wholesaler if you want a black phone of your own do what we did visit gsm nation comm and tell them PocketNow sent you if a device calls itself the black phone you can probably assume it's going to come in a black box no disappointments there and thankfully it's not the indestructible type cutting the security seal gets us a fairly standard unboxing experience once we get past the cardboard top layer anyway the phone itself is wrapped in a soft plastic envelope that protects it from damage and also heightens the mystery underneath it is the usual bevy of inbox accessories including documentation battery with a slightly concerning 2000 milliamp hour capacity a data cable and various charging adapters and finally something we're always grateful to see a set of earbuds that look very fancy indeed pulling the black phone from its recyclable pouch we're struck by how completely nondescript it is besides the logo on the back side there's nothing on this Hardware of any note whatsoever and even after we pop in the battery and snap the cover back in place it's incredible just how light the device feels will withhold judgment on this for now and content ourselves with peeling the screen protector in the hoity-toity way to which you're accustomed quiet please powering on the black phone for the first time gives us a prompt to choose an unlock pin and then an invitation to encrypt our data now this is not just a throw away security buzz phrase it's a long process that takes up to an hour to complete you have to plug the device in using the top mounted USB port which is kind of awkward but it's not the first time we've seen a power port up there but once encryption is finished you're welcomed to a phone that looks suspiciously like stock Android but in place of the usual Google Apps there's a suite of pre-installed titles from silent circle and it immediately puts you to work choosing and entering passwords to jumpstart your new life of private mobile communications how well does it all work we'll see in our black phone review coming soon and stay tuned also for details on a special black phone giveaway till then let us know down in the comments what you want covered in the full review and tune into the pocket net weekly podcast Friday August 8th where we'll have this very black phone live on the air and we'll be taking your questions about it until next time this has been michael fisher with pocket now captain to phones on twitter thanks again to gsm nation for the black phone review unit follow us and them on social media and in the links down below next to the like button most importantly thanks for watching we'll catch you next time