SGP Technologies SA, the Switzerland-based joint venture of Silent Circle and Geeksphone behind Blackphone, has announced that shipping of the Blackphone has begun to the device’s first pre-order customers.

SGP touts the Blackphone as “…the world’s first smartphone built from the ground up to maximize user privacy. Blackphone’s security-enhanced operating system, PrivatOS, built on Android™ KitKat, provides users protection and control over security issues without the usual compromises.

The unique features include:

Private communications: Blackphone features private encrypted voice and video calls and text messaging with attachments via Silent Circle‘s, Silent Phone and Silent Text apps created by Phil Zimmermann and Jon Callas, giving users the freedom to communicate securely anywhere they find cellular or Wi-Fi connections.

Wi-Fi security: The included Kismet Smarter Wi-Fi Manager prevents Wi-Fi hotspots from capturing Blackphone users’ wireless connection history and other information that could be used to track users’ locations or patterns of activity and information about sensitive office or home networks.

Security Center: Gives owners complete control over application permissions, allowing immediate changes without rebooting or reinstalling.

Remote wipe and protect: A powerful remote wipe tool gives Blackphone owners further peace of mind in having the ability to control their phone’s data from anywhere in the world.

Anonymous Web browsing and VPN: Disconnect Search is the default search provider for Blackphone, offering private browsing protection from invasive Web monitoring by hiding users’ IP address, browser cookies and personal information. Blackphone also features Disconnect’s Secure Wireless app, which is a smart VPN designed to prevent eavesdropping over Wi-Fi and cellular networks.

Private cloud storage: Blackphone owners can access files in SpiderOak’s private encrypted cloud service right from their mobile device, knowing only they have the means to decrypt and access their private files.

This Android smartphone comes with pre-installed privacy and anti-surveillance services, including Silent Phone for encrypted VoIP; Silent Text, for encrypted messaging; and Silent Contacts, for an encrypted contact list. All of these apps are available on iOS and Android if you want to install them on your phone today but they carry each of their own price tags. However, Blackphone comes with two years of these services included in the bundle, in an unlocked device, for $629 (from N103 000).