vertu

Vertu phones dripping in jewels mark a big birthday

To celebrate its 150th anniversary, House of Boucheron, the posh French creator of jewelry, watches, and fragrances, is sharing the swankness with a set of Vertu bejeweled cell phones bearing names such as Magic, Audacious, Curious, and Voluptuous.

The Dangerous model (aptly named, as you wouldn't want to whip this one out on the Metro), for example, is a pink-gold phone with paved cabochon, white and yellow diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.

Maybe the fact that the cell phone charms are detachable and can also be worn as pendants or dangled as glittery hypnosis tools will help justify the cost. (… Read more

The 404 158: Where Randall Bennett is obsessed with the 404

On today's show: Randall Bennett, former host of The 404, makes a guest appearance on the show to announce his newest business venture, Ubisoft video game event, calls from the public, face tattoos, Play-Doh bombs in lingerie stores, no-ho zones, and the $1000 iPhone application.

After a very long hiatus shrouded in mystery, Randall Bennett finally comes onto the show to reveal what he's been doing for the past few months, and contrary to our assumptions, none of it involves sleeping in! Turns out, he's working with a company called Crowd Fusion, a new "Web publishing … Read more

Okay, okay, I'll get an iPhone 3G!

My very first meaningful blog post here (after an introduction), from June 23, 2007, was titled "Why I'm not getting an iPhone".

Let me review my reasons at the time:

The original iPhone couldn't really do any more for me than my Palm Treo 650. The iPhone couldn't be used to connect my laptop to the Internet. No voice-memo support. No 3G networking. Not enough storage capacity. No native apps from third-party developers. No high-res screen.

Okay, what's changed?

Well, the iPhone 3G still… Read more

Vertu tries a new angle or two

It turns out that designer Christopher Tak Cheung Yue may have been onto to something after all with the seven-sided "Suave" phone he proposed for luxury handset maker Vertu. The angular creation looked pretty weird, even for a concept, but Vertu's latest offering actually seems to take some small steps in that direction.

While not nearly as drastic, the new "Ascent Ti" line does feature some unusual contours and textured surfaces to improve the grip, according to Sybarites--a key reason for Yue's geometric design as well. Because it's Vertu, of course, the "… Read more

Concept phone might be too weird even for Vertu

Vertu is one luxury phone maker that's not afraid to take risks, as evidenced by such creations as its $310,000 "Signature Cobra" handset. But with competition in that space growing all the time, real or fake, it behooves the company to stay on the cutting edge.

That's why designer Christopher Tak Cheung Yue has proposed a phone that takes some new angles--seven of them, to be exact. The seven-sided "Vertu Suave" concept, which BornRich describes as a "classy balance of angular and organic shape," is aimed specifically at female consumers with … Read more

Vertu vs. 'Veptu'? No comparison

It's unclear why anyone would want to make a knockoff of Vertu's phones. For one thing, it would seem virtually impossible to do justice (or something) to its unique designs and highest-end materials. Perhaps even more difficult would be keeping up with its production schedule because Vertu keeps paying homage to itself with new lines.

None of these reasons are enough to dampen the spirit of Chinese entrepreneurism, which has manifested itself in the form of the "Veptu." This phone is purportedly also a luxury handset, finished in 18k or 24k gold plate and even diamonds … Read more

Vertu phones honor its favorite subject--itself

Having created such specimens as the $310,000 "Signature Cobra," it's not surprising that Vertu is a brand that isn't afraid to celebrate itself. So even though it's already released one special line marking its 10th anniversary this year, there's nothing to stop them from doing one more.

To that end, the luxury handset maker has unveiled its "Rococo Constellation," also in honor of its first decade, following the "Monogram Constellation" that did the same thing. As indicated by its name, the new collection was inspired by the French design … Read more

Flaunt your bling with a Vertu phone

You know you're in an expensive shopping mall when even at the cell phone store you can't afford anything. While walking through the posh Wynn Hotel at CTIA, I stopped by the Vertu store to gawk with the other tourists. Of course, Vertu is Nokia's ultraluxury handset line with design accents such as gold plating, leather skins, and real diamonds. They can run in the five-digit range, but in all seriousness, if you have to ask how much they cost, you probably can't afford them. The store's formidable staff discouraged extended browsing, but I recommend … Read more

Vertu collection celebrates--what else?--itself

As Vertu celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, the luxury handset maker is commemorating its first decade with another special edition (surprise, surprise). This time it's the "Monogram Constellation" collection, though there's apparently no astronomical connection other than price. But something tells us that Vertu consumers aren't terribly concerned with such details.

With the latest line, the phone maker extraordinaire continues its leather kick, which it has already adopted for occasions ranging from the picnic to the race track. Given that this is Vertu, of course, it's no ordinary cowhide treatment: Each piece takes … Read more