FreedomPop Privacy Phone pits specs vs. security

What matters most to you: a great phone with solid specs and so-so security, or an outdated phone that's likely to be more secure than anything else on the market? That's the question posted by FreedomPop's new Privacy Phone that takes a familiar Android device and then packs it with VPN, encryption, and other settings designed to keep the government, hackers, and prying eyes off of your data and activity. But is this extra layer of privacy worth it?

While the theory of Privacy Phone seems very intriguing, I'm less enthused about the hardware used to deliver it. FreedomPop built the "Snowden Phone" (that's actually what they call it unofficially) by refurbishing an old Samsung Galaxy S II. The folks at the VoIP service provider took a three year old phone and then tacked on added protection like VPN for anonymous Internet browsing, encryption for messages and phone calls, and the ability to pay with Bitcoin to have extra privacy. Again, sounds great, but is that good enough to have a phone with:

- 1.2 GHz dual-core processor (Exynos C210)

- 16GB internal storage

- 8-megapixel camera

- 1,800 mAh battery

- Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n

- 128-bit encryption

The Privacy Phone costs $189 and comes with three months of unlimited VoIP calling and 500 MB data. After three months have passed, the phone costs $10 per month, or whatever the equivalent of $10 in Bitcoin is each month.