BlackBerry has been in the business a long time and their primary strength has always been creating secure high-end devices. With the dawn of their first Android-based handset BlackBerry Priv, the company ushers in a new era of smartphones that combines the convenience of Android applications and the trademark BlackBerry privacy.

According to a new post by BlackBerry Security director Alex Manea on the official BlackBerry Blog, the latest handset in the company's varied line of smartphones delivers "the most secure mobile platform with the most flexible application ecosystem."

As pointed out by BlackBerry CEO David Kleidermacher in another post on the blog the previous week, many Android handsets are vulnerable to privacy breaches. He mentioned a study by Cambridge University, which revealed that 87 percent of all Android devices are vulnerable.

The goal of the BlackBerry Priv is to create a smartphone that doesn't compromise on content or security.

"PRIVTM by BlackBerry® will bring BlackBerry mobile privacy, security and productivity to the Android world," Kleidermacher explained, before outlining four key principles to BlackBerry's thrust.

To achieve this, Manea shared some of their technological advancements that tighten security on the Android platform. From the hardware, created through the manufacturing process dubbed the Hardware Root of Trust, the Priv comes equipped to protect the user's privacy.

Embedded keys check every single layer of the device to see if they have been tampered or are vulnerable. It also comes with a hardened Linux kernel that's designed to improve security and an FIPS 140-2 compliant full disk encryption.

The handset also makes use of secure distributed global network BlackBerry Infrastructure and BES12, the leading Enterprise Mobility Management platform.

"Whether you're protecting your personal privacy or business-critical data, the BlackBerry PRIV is designed to keep you safe and secure," Manea wrote in the blog.

Separate spaces for work and play allow users of the Priv to enjoy more efficient and secure applications as "the Personal Space lets you download apps and protects your personal privacy, while the Work Space lets the enterprise secure its corporate data."

Also, a handy way to keep track of the installed data coming in and out of the phone is BlackBerry's brand new DTEK app. This is a security management feature that is already pre-loaded in the BlackBerry Priv. It tells users the specific applications that accesses personal data, as well as gives an idea of their overall security based on passwords, encryption settings and installed apps.