mobile

Aston Martin Concept Phone from Mobiado

Filed under: Gadgets

Canadian luxury phone maker Mobiado is in Switzerland this week for the BaselWorld watch and jewelry show with the new CPT002 concept phone. Designed in collaboration with Aston Martin, the CPT002 is comprised of a fully transparent sapphire crystal capacitive touchscreen display suspended between two platinum bars that house all the electronics and battery.

Striking though it is, the CPT002 is more than just a pretty face. The tie-in with Aston Martin comes into play as the phone is designed to interface with the car's infotainment system, wirelessly interfacing with social media sites to help you locate the people you're meeting up with or updating them automatically on the progress of your road trip or day at the race track. The built-in accelerometer will also alert the car itself in case of an impending crash, preparing the car's safety systems for the imminent collision.

Impressive stuff, though strictly a concept for the time being.

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Tags: aston martin, baselworld, cell phone, cpt002, gadgets, mobiado, mobile, phone

Vertu Ascent Ti Ferrari Edition

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Cars & Autos

Luxury phone brand Vertu is back with another Ferrari-themed device. Based on the recently updated Ascent Ti, the Ferrari edition features a matte black PVD-coated titanium case with a sapphire crystal display, quad-band 3G connectivity and of course Vertu's trademark 24/7 concierge service to arrange everything from roadside assistance to the best nightspots for owners to be seen climbing out of their exotic supercars.

The special edition is further differentiated by red accents from the leather trim on the back to the crackle-finish side grips inspired by a Ferrari engine's cam cover, with the requisite Prancing Horse logo front and back. Only 2,011 examples will be offered this year, with prices expected to reach well into the thousands.

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Tags: ascent, ascent ti, ferrari, mobile, mobile phone, phone, vertu, vertu ascent, vertu ascent ti, vertu ascent ti ferrari, vertu ascent ti ferrari edition

Alexander Calder Fetching High Prices At Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

It looks very simple but the simple mobile by Alexander Calder shown above sold for a sky-high 2.3 million euros in Paris on May 31 at Artcurial's evening sale of contemporary art. The piece is named Pour Vilar and dates from the early 1950s. Calder made the piece for the French actor Jean Vilar, showing up at his home with the mobile wrapped in newspaper. He proceeded to set up the mobile in the actor's home. The piece was sold to a Swiss collector and had a pre-sale estimate of €500,000-€800,000. It set a record for the artist in France. Calder is a hot property lately. The Art Newspaper reports that a similar mobile Untitled (Autumn Leaves), sold earlier this May at Sotheby's New York for $3.7 million. Calder's spare style appears to resonate with younger collectors whose tastes are more minimalist.

Tags: alexander calder, art, art market, mobile

Celsius X VI II Papillon Mechanical Mobile Phone

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces / Watches

What do you get when you mix complex mechanical watch making with a mobile phone? I have no idea. Luxury watch makers have been in the mobile phone world for a little while with such models at Tag Heuer Meridiist and the Ulysse Nardin Chairman, but these are mostly fancy items on the outside with traditional mobile phone hardware on the inside. The Papillion phone by Celsius X VI II (10 6 2) is going to take the convergence of these devices a few steps further. The result? Well it is still just a teaser now. You can see the "x ray" image above of what the item will look like on the inside.

There is also a teaser movie located here at Celsius X VI II's website. It doesn't really show much, bit if you are hungry for details about this you can check it out. What is clear is that it will be a clam-shell style phone, have lots of mechanical 'gizmometry' in it, and apparently will function as a real phone. A melding of electronics and mechanics according to the brand.

Is the Papillon going to be particularly useful? Probably not. Hopefully it will be very cool though. The concept reminds me a bit of Roland Iten items. But then again I think his over-engineered daily use items are more practical as well as luxurious. The Papillon is probably going to be as close to what we will ever get as a mobile phone Transformer. It might not morph into an evil robot from another planet, but it sure will be filled with bona fide mechanical guts. The Celsius X VI II Papillion mechanical mobile phone will be officially debuted at Baselworld soon. I will be there and be able to check out this roughly $300,000 luxury item hands-on.

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

Tags: cell, cellphone, celsius, mechanical, mobile, Papillon, phone, X VI II, XViIi

Porsche Design P'9522 Black Edition

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Luxury Cars & Autos

Some say white is the new black. Some say grey is the new black, or navy, or whatever new color is hot this season. You can call us old fashioned, but to us black is still black, and always will be. And Porsche evidently agrees. The company's industrial design subsidiary has just re-released their cutting edge P'9522 mobile phone in – you guessed it – all black.

Called, predictably enough, the Black Edition, the phone packs all the features of the P'9522 released last year – including the solid-aluminum construction and the fingerprint-reader security system. But, taking its cues from the anti-reflectant black instruments on a Porsche racing car – to say nothing of the original Porsche Design Chronograph I, the company's first product – the phone is decked out all in low-key black.

Gallery: Porsche Design P'9522 Black Edition

Tags: black, black edition, BlackEdition, cell, cell phone, CellPhone, mobile, mobile phone, MobilePhone, p9522, porsche design, porsche design p9522, porsche design p9522 black edition, PorscheDesign, PorscheDesignP9522, PorscheDesignP9522BlackEdition

Xperia Pureness Comes with a Man Friday

by Jonathon Ramsey (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

You've made it to your suite in Via Reggio, she'll be here soon, and things are looking good: the champagne from Champagne has been chilled, the chef you flew in from Marbella is warming the first course, the Milanese alto is downstairs right now preparing to serenade, everything's here. Everything except those Australian frangipanis for the bath later on. They haven't arrived, and it's a little late to find flowers in this seaside town.

Unless, that is, you have an Xperia Pureness handset and the Xperia Concierge service it comes with. Probably better thought of as a glass-and-black-plastic design statement than a phone, the Pureness touts itself almost as an anti-phone that focuses on "talk, text, time - a holiday from technology." Still, it's no counterculture brick: the display on that transparent glass screen has controls for web browsing, e-mail, and a media player.

And, yes, a concierge, part of a package of Xperia services. If your phone stops working during one of your frequent jet-sets, they'll send you another one within 48 hours. And your 24-hour-a-day assistant will get you a table, a membership, a seat, or a booth by the dance floor in a host of cities around the world. As long as it is a lifestyle request both "legal and moral" -- that probably includes flowers -- it will be carried out by the Xperia Concierge team. The phone is £530 ($860 U.S.), the concierge service is free for the first 12 months, and those frangipanis your Man Friday was able to arrange, well, you can't put a price on the perfect Tuscan evening...

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Tags: cellphone, concierge, mobile, pureness, sony, sony ericsson, SonyEricsson, xperia, Xperia Pureness, XperiaPureness

Vertu Releases New Constellation Ayxta Flip-Phone

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Rich folks like Vertu. (They must, otherwise Nokia wouldn't keep on making ten-thousand-dollar mobile phones, now would they?) But some like flip-phones better than the candy-bar form factor that has characterized its offerings until now. So ostensibly to satisfy such discerning customers, Vertu has released the new Constellation Ayxta.

Like the Ascent, Signature and the existing Constellation model, the Ayxta features luxurious hand-craftsmanship, leather trim and access to the company's bespoke concierge service, on call around the clock from anywhere in the world. The Ayxta's clamshell form also packs a 3-megapixel camera with flash, an 8-gig micro-SD slot and 3G wireless connection. Which by themselves may not warrant the phone's $6,500 - $8,500 asking price, but then companies like Vertu would argue that the whole of its product is more than the sum of its parts.

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Tags: constellation, Constellation Ayxta, ConstellationAyxta, mobile, mobile phone, MobilePhone, phone, vertu, vertu constellation, Vertu Constellation Ayxta, VertuConstellation, VertuConstellationAyxta

Vertu's Next Special Edition: Ascent Ti Neon

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

Another day, another special-edition Vertu. The premium mobile phone company seems to crank them out with regularity, and we recently reported on the Carbon Fibre Collection. Now reports from the mobile phone world indicate that Vertu is already working on the next special version.

Dubbed the Ascent Ti Neon, it's reportedly been redesigned to fit more snugly into the hand, plus they've replaced the leather on the standard model (which is anything but "standard") with neon-colored rubber. The price tag is expected to approach the $10,000 mark when it hits the market in October.

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Tags: ascent neon, AscentNeon, cell phone, CellPhone, mobile, mobile phone, MobilePhone, neon, phone, vertu, vertu ascent, vertu ascent neon, vertu ascent ti, vertu ascent ti neon, vertu neon, VertuAscent, VertuAscentNeon, VertuAscentTi, VertuAscentTiNeon, VertuNeon

Ulysse Nardin Chairman Smart Phone Hands On

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces / Watches

Ulysse Nardin surprised the haute horology world a few months ago with the announcement of a luxury smart phone. I originally discussed the Ulysse Nardin Chairman here, but recently got to sit down and personally experience three of the Chairman models my self. I also got to learn a lot more about what makes the Ulysse Nardin Chairman a real luxury of a mobile phone. I got to see the blue and satin steel, the black-toned model (very sexy!), and the blue steel and rose gold (very Ulysse Nardin!). The phone is large and pleasantly hefty - I would describe it more as comfortable and solid feeling rather than intimidating.

The back piece of the watch is made of a carbon fiber plate and a black ceramic plate (mobile phone antenna radio signals do not travel through metal well). The keypad features large comfortable keys and excellent backlighting - and the screen is one large sapphire crystal. Ulysse Nardin finally confirmed that the phone's operating system will be unique to the phone rather than just a skinned version of an existing mobile phone operating system.
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Gallery: Ulysse Nardin Chairman Phone Live

Tags: cell, chairman, mobile, phone, review, smart, ulysse nardin, UlysseNardin

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Tag Heuer Meridiist Mobile Phone, Now With Diamonds

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces / Watches

It was only a matter of time before the famed Tag Heuer Meridiist phone got a diamond make over. It is an official diamond make over too, not one of those aftermarket jobs. I am as much a fan of luxury as the next luxe lover, but what is the deal with diamonds on phones? As though a $5,000 - $8,000 phone was not enough given that it will go technologically extinct in a few years? Your future paper weight needs diamond decoration as well? Plus, nothing say's "ergonomics" quite like the jagged edges of fine cut stones against your palms and the side of your face. The Meridiist Diamant phones will likely go for between about $10,000 and $30,000.

The new phones will be known as the Meridiist Diamant collection and will come in two styles with 208 diamonds or the "imperial regalia of mobile phones" with 1232 diamonds. Tag Heuer says that the Meridiist Diamant phones will be marketed toward women, which makes sense. While very expensive, the base line of Meridiist phones is really quire cool - at leat on the outside from a construction and materials standpoint. It should be cool however to have a phone with a massive sapphire crystal as the screen. I do feel that if you are willing to make the investment, you'll be happy with the phone, at least until you want to get another phone.

Remember what I said about the phone being obsolete in a few years due to the rapid progression of mobile phone hardware and software? Well get this: Tag Heuer places the Meridiist Diamant phone in a wooden jewelry presentation box "in which to preserve and store your investment for future generations." Really? As an antique for a time capsule maybe? A mechanical watch will still be useful for "future generations, but a digital mobile phone? Imagine giving your mini cellular tower suitcase phone from the mid 1980s to a 16 year old today and gauge how "awesome" they think it will be. That is the idea.

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

Gallery: Tag Heuer Meridiist phone diamonds

Tags: meridiist, mobile, phone, tag heuer, TagHeuer

Tag Heuer Meridiist Mobile Phone's New Website

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces / Watches

Announced a while back, the Tag Heuer Meridiist mobile phone is one step closer to reality for those few people willing to lay down the dough for one - with the launch of it's new interactive website: www.tagheuer.com/meridiist. The new site shows the luxury Meridiist mobile phones in their full glory. In a world where watch makers try to convince certain stubborn members of the public that wrist watches make better time tellers than mobile phones, some compies like Tag Heuer are adopting an "if you can't beat em, join 'em" mentality.

The concept of a luxury mobile phone is spurious to some - but for others, even the limited technological shelf life of these masterful creations is too much to resist. The Meridiist will be constructed with the same quality as watches and with many of the same materials including sapphire crystal screens, high quality steel cases, and crocodile or rubber covers on parts of the watch. The watch is available also in PVD covered titanium, and in a variety of color choices. The phone itself is an unlocked 3G GSM worldphone with a basic (non-smart phone) operating system. Still, it is said to have Internet connectivity, basic office productivity functions, and Bluetooth.

The phone features two screens. The upper one (on the top of the phone) being an OLED screen that is meant to show the time, or for the stopwatch feature. Available with the Meridiist is a matching Tag Heuer Bluetooth headset. Tag Heuer is proud of the "mechanical" shutter on the camera that is pretty basic at 2MP. Overall it is a sweetly made case for just a decent phone. It will remain looking like a sweetly made phone, even after it is technologically obsolete. Prices vary and I imagine will be about $4,000 - $6,000. Look for them in select high end watch stores.

Ariel Adams publishes the watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Tags: cel, meridiist, mobile, phone, tag heuer, TagHeuer

Prada & LG Team Up

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces / Watches

Sleek Prada phone and matching, synchronized watch

Cell phones have nearly become the new watches.

Personally, I'm not a fan of this trend. I love watches. Watches have history, a long tradition of craftsmanship and beauty. Cell phones tend to last two years at most and break a lot. Using your cell phone as your watch may save you the money and trouble of finding and elegant watch, but it's sort of like using a backpack for a purse.

Prada has come out with an interesting pairing of watch and cell phone, above. Prada and LG have teamed up to bring you a watch that receives all your Prada/LG phone's text messages, call data, and it also has a Reject Call function. You wouldn't have to dig out your phone every time if beeps, you could just look at your watch and decide whether it was worth it. Very James Bond, or at least Penny from Inspector Gadget.

[via gizmodo.com]

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Tags: cell, cell phone, lg, mobile, mobile phone, phone, prada, watch

The $2,000 Motorola Aura

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets, Timepieces / Watches

Now that's a phone. The $2,000 Motorola Aura is here, and lookalikes are bound to follow.

The Aura has the world's first circular display with 16 million colors and a 300 dpi resolution. The lens isn't just scratch resistant, it's Grade 1 62-carat sapphire crystal. The casing is stainless steel, coated with PVD coating (like on a luxury watch), and it rotates open with the help of 130 precision ball bearings.

All the usual technologies (2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, Open Source browser) are included in this sleek, attractive 47.60 x 96.87 x 18.55mm phone.

Blackberries are for assistants.

Just in time for the holidays, you can order one now to be shipped out December 4th.

[via engadgetmobile.com]

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Tags: aura, bluetooth, camera phone, cell, cell phone, CellPhone, mobile, mobile phone, motorola, open source, phone

Diamond Nokia N95

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

The latest in blinged out cellphones is the Diamond Nokia N95, and there's no argument that it's 'doing the bling thing' in a big way. Coming from Alexander Amosu, the phone is a combination of 18k solid gold and 3.30 carats of high-quality diamonds. Available in a limited edition of only 10, each phone is custom set with 325 diamonds and the owner's choice of white gold or classic gold (white gold for me all the way), and of course each will be numbered from 1-10. Name or initials also available, $24,482.

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Tags: alexander amosu, AlexanderAmosu, amosu, cell, cell phone, CellPhone, diamond encrusted, DiamondEncrusted, diamonds, mobile, mobile phone, MobilePhone, N95, nokia, phone, telephone

The Translucent Lucite Mobile

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

I am a huge fan of mobiles -- something about them is so peaceful and tranquil, plus they bring unique interest and movement into a room. Mobiles are available in every style, color, and size you can imagine, but one of my new favorites is this Translucent Lucite Mobile by Michele Varian. It consists of aluminum rods holding different sized clear discs and circles hanging on clear cords, and is available in both small (2 1/2' X 4') and large (4' X 5 1/2') sizes. Selling for $625 and $1250, respectively, it's definitely not an impulse purchase -- but then unique accents like this rarely are anyway.

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Tags: accent, aluminum, decor, lucite, michele varian, MicheleVarian, mobile, mobiles