Germany turned to BlackBerry 10 powered handsets, to keep the NSA from continuing to monitor the mobile communications of Chancellor Angela Merkel. The technology used by BlackBerry, was combined with anti-eavesdropping technology from German firm Secusmart. The German government was so pleased with the results from the 3000 units they employed, that there is talk that the government wants to buy 20,000 more BlackBerry 10 handsets.
While Germany's Federal Ministry of the Interior wouldn't confirm exactly how many phones are being ordered, spokesman Tobias Plate said that more and more BlackBerry 10 units are being used. On Monday, Plate said that only BlackBerry handsets are able to meet the standards for security that are required by the Ministry. The spokesman also noted that the Ministry had checked out other brands of smartphones, but were sold on the security features found only on BlackBerry handsets.
"We have a federal authority for information security and they checked several smartphones, and the only brand that was approved by them is the BlackBerry smartphones… It’s the security of the device."-Tobias Plate, spokesman, German Federal Ministry of the Interior
This is obviously a positive bit of news for BlackBerry. After the new BlackBerry 10 lineup failed to help the company gain ground on iOS, Android and Windows Phone, new CEO John Chen has been working hard to turn around the company. He reached a deal with Foxconn for the contract manufacturer to design, produce, and store low-end models for emerging markets. The first phone to launch from that five-year pact, the BlackBerry Z3, has been selling well.
But more exciting is a pair of interesting high-end handsets for developed markets. The BlackBerry Passport could be a monster with high-end specs and a unique physical keyboard that doubles as a touchpad. Virtual keys appear depending on the context of what you are writing. The BlackBerry Classic brings back the classic Bold-esque QWERTY keyboard with a touchpad and function keys. The latter is expected to be released this November.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel holds up her secure BlackBerry handset
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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