We all know that Boeing is making aircraft, but what would you say if you were able to purchase a Boeing-made mobile phone? This may actually happen sooner than we think, as the company has already confirmed plans to launch a mysterious Android smartphone.
The official statement was evasive and did not include too many details, just the fact that Boeing may launch a smartphone sometime in 2014. Well, it appears that Boeing’s statement was pretty accurate given the recent details leaked online. The folks over at Myce have just spotted the rumored Boeing smartphone at Federal Communications Commission (FCC), along with its schematics. The mysterious device tipped by Boeing last year is called Black and, for the time being, little is known about its specs due to security reasons. The Boeing Black is meant to offer extra protection during communication, but the device is meant to offer that protection to only a few and probably at a high price. Apparently, Boeing’s Black phone will be sold “primarily to government agencies and companies engaged in contractual activities with those agencies that are related to defense and homeland security.”
Boeing has also stated in the documents filed at FCC that all the technical information about the Black smartphone won’t be made public. However, some technical details may be provided at various trade fairs, but that will be limited and those who receive it will have to sign non-disclosure agreements. There’s more to it as Boeing is clearly stating that its upcoming Black smartphone “is also protected by the Boeing Black Purchase Agreement (Purchase Agreement).” The “purchase agreement” is meant to protect as “proprietary information” all the components, hardware, software, applications and functionalities of the Black smartphone provided by Boeing.
Even though the FCC documents don’t reveal too much about the specs for the reasons explained earlier, there are some mentions of dual-SIM support on the smartphone’s schematics that were filed as PDF documents. Boeing also states that its Black smartphone will be compatible with GSM, WCDMA and LTE networks and microSIM cards, which shouldn’t be surprising if the company wishes to cover as many markets as possible. For the time being, it’s unclear whether or not the Black smartphone will be limited to the United States or it will be “secretly” made available worldwide. We also don’t know when it’s set for release, but this information may be “classified” as well. Don’t look for more info on this one, as the Black phone isn’t meant for end users.
Boeing Black phone Image credits to FCC |