This week's posting of specifications for the secure Boeing Black smartphone brought out references to the old Mission Impossible television show and other fictional spy heroes.
The reports downplayed the apparent delay in developing the secure phone -- Boeing was expected to unveil it more than a year ago. They instead concentrated on its operating system (Android), its size (5.2-in. tall, 170 grams in weight and a 4.3-in. display) and most of all its self-destruct mode -- where all data is erased if the device is tampered with.
While the data released this week does offer some new information about the Boeing device and its capabilities, it also raises more questions about it and the growing market for secure phones. Such as: Is it another blow to struggling BlackBerry, the maker of President Barack Obama's secure phone? Can Android truly be secured?
A Computerworld Tip of the Hat to Will Connors and Jon Ostrower of the Wall Street Journal for their concise, easy-to-read blog post, 5 Questions About The Boeing Black, which provides answers to those and other questions about the device and the state of the secure phone business.
Read more about security in Computerworld's Security Topic Center.