iphone

iVIP Black is Most Expensive iPhone App

Filed under: Gadgets

For the most part iPhone apps are available to anybody who wants to buy and download them, but not only does Apple's iVIP Black come with the highest price tag of all its apps at $999.99 but there's a vetting process that includes a personal interview to ensure you're really a 'High Net Worth individual' before they let you install it to your phone. So what do you get for going through all that trouble? A one year membership in a concierge service that will hook you up with special VIP opportunities and deals at the touch of a button, no matter what time of day or where you are, provided you're in the UK where the service provider (iVIP Ltd.) is located. They also offer the ability to personalize your iVIP Black membership, which automatically gives you a lifetime membership and includes access to exclusive perks like entourage services and access to private islands.

No worries if you don't qualify (or are just too cheap) to spring for the full iVIP Black treatment as there's also iVIP Blue ($16.99) and iVIP Red (free), and of course there's always our free and awesome Luxist App also available for download on iTunes.

Via JustLuxe

Gallery: iVIP Black Screenshots

Source

Tags: apple, iphone, iphone app, iphone apps, IphoneApp, IphoneApps, itunes, ivip, most expensive, MostExpensive, vip

iPhone Tamara Runge

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

I'm not a big fan of snakeskin but for those that are the iPhone Tamara Runge Edition case is lovely, and very pricey, way to incorporate it into your daily wardrobe. Created as a collaboration between fashion designer Davide de Nizza and artist Stuart Hughes, the case is handmade of python leather with an 18k gold buckle that houses 35 0.5 carat flawless diamonds and a single 3 carat diamond in the center. It's made for the iPhone but looks like it could easily house a Blackberry or any number of other cell phone brands. Available in a limited edition of only 3 for £59,995 each.

Source

Tags: iPhone, most expensive, MostExpensive, python

This Year's Holiday Shopping Lesson: Lux Goes Online

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel

The web isn't just for bargains. Some of the top luxury lifestyle brands in the world are turning to the internet to beef up their sales -- a must in a market where brick-and-mortar is lagging in the all-important holiday season. Giorgio Armani and Valentino Fashion Group, which have generally steered clear of the prolies shopping online, are changing their attitudes, as they have had to cope with the most severe recession in seventy years. Roberto Cavalli and Salvatore Ferragamo have joined the fray, too, both opening online stores in the past month.

In addition to younger buyers who are more comfortable skipping the store, a sense of "luxury shame" is causing many to turn to the web. The anonymity, once reserved for porn purchases, allows customers to indulge in big-ticket buys without having to endure looks of envy (or worse). If you need proof that luxury spending is going digital, take a look at Italy. This year, online sales of Italian luxury products are expected to surge 42 percent to $500 million, according to a study by Politecnico. Last year, it fell six percent for the luxury goods industry as a whole. In Italy, around 14 percent of holiday shopping will occur ont eh web, according to Deloitte's 2009 Christmas Survey.

The luxury industry's online endeavors are not limited to traditional stores, though Stefano Sassi, Valentino's CEO, notes that the startup costs are lower and that "There's a very interesting margin on e-commerce" as a result. Armani has launched applications for smartphones, including the iPhone and Blackberry and has launched a Christmas website.

Source

Tags: armani, BlackBerry, Christmas, christmas shopping, ChristmasShopping, Giorgio Armani, GiorgioArmani, holiday, Holiday season, holiday shopping, holidays, HolidaySeason, HolidayShopping, iphone, luxury, online retail, online retailers, online retailing, OnlineRetail, OnlineRetailers, OnlineRetailing, roberto cavalli, RobertoCavalli, salvatore ferragamo, SalvatoreFerragamo, Valentino

Griffin & Threadless Team Up For Fashion Forward iPhone Cases

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

It is not always the case that iPhone cases must only be used to protect your iPhone. They can also help make a statement about you. This concept has been clear to many, which is why the business of selling iPhone cases is probably as big as that of selling the phones. Unless you are serial butter fingers and need a heavy duty two inch thick rubber case to keep your iPhone out of the "dead gadget bin" you'll want something thin enough to not detract from your enjoyment of the phone, as well as something that makes a more individualized statement about you than "I am among the millions of people who have this Apple product." To help solve this problem Griffin Technology and the UGC (user generated content) trendy shirt maker Threadless have teamed up to offer two special iPhone cases based on popular shirts - and you can get the matching shirts too. Plus, you can download a matching wallpaper for your iPhone. They have really thought this all out. Now your iPhone will actually match your attire.

The first design is called the "Birds of a Feather" and uses Griffin's ultra-thin soft blue rubberized exterior iPhone case with a design by Ross Zietz. Then you have "Clouds Within The Thunder" by Joe Van Wetering that is a stylized thunder bolt on a yellow version of the case. Each artistic iPhone case is $34.99. You can visit Threadless from links above to check the out more, where there are also links to get the matching shirts for $18 a piece. The cases are also available at select Apple store locations. These items are nifty, and it is smart to change your iPhone case once in a while to keep things fresh. Certainly a minor luxury to have art on anything functional - and that is why I like these particular iPhone accessories.

Gallery: Griffin Threadless iPhone case

Tags: art, birds of a feather, BirdsOfAFeather, case, clouds within the thunder, CloudsWithinTheThunder, Griffin, iPhone, shirt, Threadless

Sonos Zone Player S5 Plays Nice With Your iPhone

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Need a new buddy for your iPhone that takes advantage of your music library? The Sonos ZonePlayer S5 is an all-in-one wireless music system designed to work with the iPhone to bring all the music the internet has to offer to every corner of the home. Unlike traditional docks, you don't have to leave your iPhone connected and unavailable for use to enjoy music. With the S5, you can queue up whatever you'd like to hear from your own iTunes library collection or any of the major online music sources and slip your phone back in your pocket.

The S5 has a five-driver speaker system-- two tweeters, two mid-range drivers and a built-in single subwoofer – each individually powered by a dedicated digital amplifier and optimized to deliver room-filling sound with smooth tonal balance and deep bass. The free Sonos Controller for iPhone app lets you choose the music and control the volume. The S5 also includes free Sonos Controller software for your Mac or PC. It sells for $399 and will be available starting at the end of this month. Check out a video of the S5 in action after the jump.

Source

Tags: audio, gadget, internet, iphone, itunes, music, sonos, sound

Continue reading “Sonos Zone Player S5 Plays Nice With Your iPhone”

David Yurman Joins The iPhone App Crowd

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Timepieces / Watches

I would love to be an iPhone app developer that is well connected to the luxury world. I would have clients waiting in line to get their own iPhone app making it possible for trendy mobile phone goers to check out watches and jewelry on the go. It is really effective actually. People who have iPhones are eating up their free time by always playing with apps. What used to be time for important self reflection and idle thought can now be used for enjoying more media consumption. It makes sense to have this time filled with virtual window shopping. Pictured is one of David Yurman's newest watches, the Classic Chronograph as seen in the application.

David Yurman's free iPhone application gives you a view of their jewelry and watch collection. You can look at images of the items up close in glorious detail, check out promotional videos, find stores close by so that you get yell at your driver to quickly alter their course, share your top picks with buddies, and even buy watches. Purchasing is done through a "David Yurman personal shopper," but this is one step closer to Internet sales, which is a fantastic thing. If you want this application, and you have an iPhone, I don't need to tell you where to get it.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: app, classic chronograph, ClassicChronograph, david yurman, DavidYurman, iphone, jewelry, watch

Talk, Text, and Now Buy Shoes on Your iPhone

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Services

Talk, Text, and Now Buy Shoes on Your iPhone

There's likely no end in sight to the number of iPhone apps to come. So I'm going to tell you about one more, OK? You'll thank me. Actually, thank The New York Times: Designer fashion hub Net-a-Porter.com released its iPhone application, the Net-App, in mid-July. Shoppers can browse handbags, clothes and shoes; read the site's weekly fashion stories; and make purchases. The Times noted that even though some people use their cell phones to buy virtual goods to use in mobile games or e-books to read on their phones, the masses have not shown much willingness to buy physical goods - especially expensive ones - from their cell phones. (Kind of like how early online purchases, of anything, were made by the few and the brave; now, it's second nature.)

But Net-a-Porter.com, which went live in 2000 and states it has 1.8 million visitors a month, succeeded in getting people to buy $4,000 gowns and $1,000 stilettos on the Web, so iPhone app success may be in sight. The potential for shopping on phones "is massive," said Alison Loehnis, v.p. of sales and marketing at Net-a-Porter.com, in the Times. "We feel very strongly that third-generation technology is the new shop window. No one wants to be bound to their computer anymore."

Net-a-Porter.com is not the first to offer an iPhone shopping app: there's Lucky at Your Service from Lucky magazine and ShopStyle Mobile from ShopStyle. Net-a-Porter, however, developed a tool it calls ClosetFlow, which shows users small images of new products to thumb through. Shoppers can zoom in, flip the phone to look at items from different directions, and read more detailed information about them. The shopper can add the items to a wish list to access later from a computer or buy from within the application, without opening a separate browser window.

Loehnis noted in the article: "Our customers love to shop from their homes or offices, but we want our customers to be able to shop from a cab or while waiting in line and really maximize what little free time they have."

[Thanks to my savvy sister, GP]

Tags: apps, clothing, handbags, iPhone, iPod Touch, IpodTouch, net-a-porter, shoes, shopping

L.L. Bean's New iPhone App

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Everybody is getting into the iPhone app business this year, even outdoors retailer L.L. Bean. The purveyor of tote bags, flannel shirts other New England staples has a free game for the iPhone and iPod Touch called "Moosentration." It works similar to the game of Concentration only in this case the images include boots, canoes, fishing lures and other L.L. Bean merchandise. So far you can't buy L.L. Bean clothing through the app, for now it's just a test and a way to interact with customers. The company's core business is still done through its flagship store in Freeport, Maine and through catalog shopping but a free app is an interesting way to test out just how tech-savvy today's L.L. Bean shopper is.

[via Portland Press Herald]

Source

Tags: iphone, ll bean, LlBean

Art Auction Advances With Christie's iPhone Bidding App

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

Okay, so it seems like Christie's is looking for any way it can to get into your wallet. Can you blame the auction house? Even with the occasional touch of good news, 2009 has generally been a dismal year, thanks to a global economic crisis that has brought the art market back down to Earth (hell, some would say six feet under it). Any business guru would tell you that when the market sucks, you need to find a new revenue stream. And, iPhone apps offer a brand new bandwagon to jump on, so why not?

This is a pretty wild development for a company that celebrated its tenth anniversary when the colonies declared independence (Christies was founded in 1766, if you couldn't figure it out). The iPhone will stand alongside the gavel, if all goes well, as the implement by which an auction is defined.

Christie's hopes that the bidding application will attract new money bidders to the auction house, ideally to pick up some of the lots that aren't moving and to possibly push prices up a bit. Think about it: if you're not into the auction scene, going to one of those things is a friggin' drag. Unless you move heaven and earth to get "approved," you're stuck in the back with the prolies – standing. That's no way to spend money! And, the dress code? If I hit it big, my first move would be to never wear a suit again. My jeans would lead to discrimination, so the iPhone app makes sense ... as long as there are wealthy versions of me out there (and I think there are).

Obviously committed to promoting how brilliant this idea is, Christie's draws a parallel to bids from its Christie's LIVE website, which accounted for 11 percent of the lots sold last year. There's no comment on what the website's been worth this year. But, let's be fair. The auction house is having trouble selling through any channel, so we can't blame innovation.

Source

Tags: art auction, art auctions, art market, ArtAuction, ArtAuctions, ArtMarket, auction, auction house, auction-house, auctionhouse, auctions, christies, christies auction, christies auction house, christies international, ChristiesAuction, ChristiesAuctionHouse, ChristiesInternational, iphone, iphone app, iphone applications, iphone apps, IphoneApp, IphoneApplications, IphoneApps

Continue reading “Art Auction Advances With Christie's iPhone Bidding App”

Engagement Ring Shopping By iPhone

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry

The other day I mentioned a company working on virtual shopping technology that lets you try on watches via computer. But how about engagement ring shopping by iPhone? Stuller has partnered with Gemvision Corp. on an app that lets you try on a ring no matter where you are using the iPhone camera. The app is called "Live Diamond Try-On (brought to you by Red Box Diamonds)" and will be available for free this summer from the App store. Users can select a diamond engagement ring, choosing metal, carat size, style and more then try it out for size on their own hand. To get the full effect you can put the iPhone on your hand and tilt it to get a sense of the ring's sparkle as it shifts. The image can be saved and e-mailed and posted on Facebook or Twitter. The user can then get the real thing using the app's "find a jeweler" function. Will this lead to virtual proposals with no real ring required?

Source

Tags: app, diamond, engagement, iphone

Cartier's Short-Lived Apple Lawsuit

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces / Watches

Proving once again that luxury brands have no sense of humor, Cartier sued Apple over an iPhone app that displayed obvious fake watches including a version that looked like Cartier's popular Tank design. The "Fake Watch" and "Fake Watch Gold Edition" apps allowed users to show the time on " look-alike famous wristwatches" on Apple's iPhone and iPod Touch. The obvious fakes used names like "Relax" for Rolex and "Carpark" for Cartier. "Fake Watch" was a free download and "Fake Watch Gold Edition" sold for 99 cents in Apple's iTunes store. No word on if Cartier sued the maker of the app, Digitopolis Game Studio.

But almost as soon as the fracas began, it was over. The Wall Street Journal reports that Cartier is withdrawing the suit that it filed earlier in the same day after the apps were removed from iTunes.

Source

Tags: app, cartier, iphone, lawsuit

Daily Finance iPhone App Launches

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wealth

The one word I keep hearing when people describe the new iPhone app from our sister blog Daily Finance is slick. And indeed it is. It offers free real-time stock quotes from BATS Exchange and 15-minute delayed quotes from NYSE, NASDAQ, and AMEX; real-time financial news that lets you track business, company, and sector news and dozens of other news topics from over 3,000 sources; interactive charts; the ability to create up to 25 different portfolios and watchlists and much more. It's user-friendly and it's the kind of app you can live in, following it from basic market status to the news and research on various companies. Best of all, it's free. You can download it here and see a video on how it works here and for some screenshots click over to TUAW's review.

Source

Tags: app, finance, iphone

Crystal Cruises Wants To Help You Understand Your iPhone

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

Here's an interesting reason to go on a cruise, help with your gadgets. Crystal Cruises is offering the services of a "technology concierge" whose job it is to train and educate guests on their latest gadgets. The concierges can tell you how to get the most from your iPhone, Blackberry, Kindle or GPS device. The ships' Crystal's Bistros will offer the latest technology magazines and Crystal's "Gadget Committee" plans to continually add new technology and update their in-house education to ensure the Technology Concierges remain current. I just want to know where you apply to be a technology concierge.

Source

Tags: crystal cruises, CrystalCruises, gadgets, iphone, kindle

Element Case Valentine's Day iPhone Cases

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

I've been known to complain about pink gadgets and pink gadget cases but these pink iPhone cases are girly without being dainty. Element Case is offering a Limited Edition Valentine's Liquid Case that fits the classic iPhone and iPhone 3G. It's a tough case that protects your phone on all sides. The hard shell case is built to withstand rough handling and offers access to all ports. And once your phone is locked in, it's not going anywhere. The case has flip lids that protect the screen when not in use. Built especially for those that use play games on the iPhone, the case offers a little extra room to hold on, making it function a little more like a PSP or Nintendo DS.

The Valentine artwork was developed by graphic designer Nancy Ogami. They will make 100 custom back painted pearlescent pink cases each numbered and is customized with "your message or name" engraved on both the gray lid and the translucent flip lid. The case sells for $119 and the last order processing day for guaranteed shipping by Valentine's Day is February 10 (February 7 for Europe).

Source

Tags: element case, ElementCase, iphone, iphone case, IphoneCase

Bose is Out, the iHome is In

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Bose is out, the iHome is in. The iHome is made specifically to house your various Apple devices and the sound it creates packs a punch!

The iHome devices are equipped to operate with iPods and iPhones as well as Zunes and most MP3 players with an audio cord - or even Bluetooth technology.

The range runs from $49.95 to $199.99 and any order over $99.00 comes with free earbuds. Our pick? The Rotating Alarm Clock, $79.99, at right. Check out the gallery to see what it does (it flips!), and for more cool products like the color-changing iPod player.

Shop the iHome store here (finally, a music site that doesn't crash your web browser).

Gallery: Our picks from the iHome store