BlackBerry may soon lose its favorite client: President Barack Obama. An anonymous source familiar with the matter said the White House is testing smartphones from LG and Samsung in search of a potential replacement for its traditional BlackBerry handsets. Apple's iPhone 5S was not included in the devices tested.
BlackBerry has supplied the White House and many other government agencies with secure smartphones for more than a decade, but in recent years, Apple and other companies have begun to chip away at BlackBerry's dominance in the U.S. government. The White House Communications Agency, which oversees and protects Obama's communications, as well as the White House's internal technology team are in charge of testing new devices that may be employed by government employees in the future.
These two agencies are reportedly testing LG and Samsung smartphones to see if either company can provide a realistic substitute for BlackBerry. The Wall Street Journal's source stated that testing is in the early stages and no decision will be made for several "months."
"We can confirm that the White House Communications Agency, consistent with the rest of the Department of Defense, is piloting and using a variety of mobile devices," an unnamed Defense Department spokesman said.
The source did not state which devices are being tested. Neither Samsung nor LG confirmed that the White House is testing their devices, but an anonymous Samsung spokesman affirmed that the company is very interested in working with government agencies.
"We have seen strong interest from the government sector and are working closely with various agencies to deploy pilot programs that allow these agencies to better understand and estimate the resources needed for a full deployment," he said.
LG stated that it was unaware of government testing and would say no more.
For its own part, BlackBerry defended its contract with the federal government, stating that its devices are the only ones secure enough for sensitive White House communications.
"For more than a decade, BlackBerry has been securing the U.S. government's mobile communications and only BlackBerry is designed to meet the high-security needs of U.S. and allied government agencies," an unnamed BlackBerry spokeswoman said.
Although Samsung's security program, called KNOX, is well known for its advance security features, it is unclear what LG could bring to the table. It is also somewhat surprising that the White House isn't testing the iPhone 5S, given the fact that iOS is widely considered the most secure mobile OS. After all, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency recently switched from BlackBerry to iPhone.
It is unknown if Obama himself, a self-proclaimed BlackBerry addict, will make the switch as well. Back in 2008, Obama famously mourned the loss of his BlackBerry right before his ascension to the presidency.
"They're going to pry it out of my hands," he said woefully.
Obama's BlackBerry was later returned to him and BlackBerry positively glowed with pride. However, times have changed. Obama now owns an iPad, so it's entirely possible that if his entire office ditches BlackBerry, he may as well.
