Blackphone Announces New Privacy-Oriented Phone and Tablet

The phone maker Blackphone and the security communications company Silent Circle, whose partnership created the first privacy-oriented smartphone, announced two new devices at Mobile World Congress, along with a suite of software and services intended to lock down both private and work communications. The Blackphone 2 is scheduled to be released in July and will, like its predecessor, cost just over $600. The company said the phone would offer faster performance, longer battery life and would be easier for company technology managers to configure. A tablet called the Blackphone+ will be released in the fall, but its price has not been specified. The company strongly positioned both devices for enterprise: phones and tablets intended to be used at work.