Secure Android smartphone could be targeted by hackers and NSA

The new "Blackphone" smartphone may have only debuted at last week's Mobile World Congress but concerns are already being raised that it will be targeted by hackers and the NSA.

Spanish start-up Geeksphone, Silent Circle and Pretty Good Privacy announced the Blackphone at the technology exhibition in Barcelona last week, with STMicro later demonstrating its own security-focused smartphone, the Boeing Black.

Blackphone though grabbed most the attention as it is a new Android-based smartphone which is able to encrypt texts, voice calls and video chats. The phone asks for a password and PIN when booting up, and then guides the user through the additional security options. But what is arguably most interesting about the 4.7-inch Android device, which will start from around $US629 when it debuts in June, is that it comes minus the usual array of pre-installed Android apps.