James Bond lives as new Blackberry gadget is released.

With the iPhone and Samsung taking the stage in 2014, the humble Blackberry has taken something of a back seat in recent years while its competitors take the floor.

However, with a New Year round the corner, the Canadian smartphone manufacturer is back with a new gadget, shortly after its much revered Passport function was unveiled.

Today, Blackberry can unveil a high security Android smartphone, which has been coined as the 'Boeing Black phone' thanks to the company's major partnership with airline heavyweight Boeing.

Amongst its many facets, doubtless one of the coolest features of the phone is its self-destruct function. This may sound like something that has been lifted straight out of an Ian Fleming epic, but it is very much becoming a reality in today's ever more security-conscious digital age.

The phone, dubbed “loophole-free” by its manufacturers, has been programmed to self destruct if intruders attempt to tamper with the device, which in turn prevents security breaches. As such, the phone has been largely targeted at the 'James Bond' market itself – namely, governmental or federal agencies, in particular, espionage groups, who really on secure communications.

John Chen, CEO of Blackberry, told reuters “We're pleased to announce that Boeing is collaborating with BlackBerry to provide a secure mobile solution for Android devices utilising our BES 12 platform.”

It's a completely different kettle of fish from other phones on the market, whose predominant focus for 2015 is better user interfaces to enable such 'smart' functions as web access and gaming. With the rise of online gaming, many platforms from internet-based console games to fully optimised mobile sites are becoming the sole focus of new releases.

Moreover, global competition is rife, with South Africa having released its own smartphone this time last year. The io was met with a positive reception, thanks to its five-inch screen and Android interface which made it perfect for gamers. As online gaming becomes more and more popular in the modern day, gaming sites are becoming mobile optimised to work with these mobile phones, which as a result, are becoming big competition – fast.

So will the Boeing Black phone stand out for good reasons, or sink into obscurity? Manufacturers at Blackberry will have to work hard to iron out any errors that have come to light in the past.

For example, the Blackphone, as developed by Geeksphone and Silent Circle, was previously released based on Google's Android Open Source Project. The phone was deemed the “world's most secure Android phone,” a title which it held onto until earlier this year when it was successfully hacked at the DefCon Hacking Conference.

So will the Boeing Blackphone stand out amongst its competitors as a bastion of security, or will it crash and burn like its predecessors? Indeed, its self-destruct button seems a little extreme, but it could just be the next chapter in the world of smartphones as we know them.