B&O $1,275 phone hits U.S. stores
Would you shell out more than a grand for a cell phone? Bang & Olufsen, makers of high-end electronics fit for Hollywood celebrities and corporate bigwigs, is betting someone will. The company has partnered with Samsung to come up with the Serene, a design-first handset that launched a few days ago at the jaw-dropping price of $1,275. Yes, that's $1,275 for a cell phone.
It is certainly a beautiful piece of gadgetry; a black flip phone with a rotary-style keypad, complete with a power-assist self-opening clamshell that lets you open the phone with style and panache. But is it functional? Ronn Owens, host for KGO radio in the Bay Area, gave it a lukewarm reception on our News.com blog about a month ago, calling it "a phone for a museum, not your pocket." While we couldn't agree more, you might be interested to read David Pogue's mostly positive review of the phone in the New York Times (though he, too, balked at the phone's price), comparing the elegance of the Serene to what a still-mythical Apple iPhone should feel like.
For me, the answer to the question is a flat-out no. But hey, I'm no millionaire.
(Photo: Bang & Olufsen)
Nicole Lee is an associate editor for CNET, covering cell phones, Bluetooth headsets, and all things mobile. She's also pretty geeky--she likes World of Warcraft, comic books, and shiny gadgets. E-mail Nicole.
Phone is interesting, not sure if i like the looks.
- Only $1275???? Sucha deal!
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by make_or_break
November 4, 2006 6:22 AM PST
- Or not...I'm wonder why B&O didn't make it an even $1500. Or $1800. $1275 sounds just so....[i]industrial[/i]...or Ikea.
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Reply to this comment
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(7 Comments)<sarcasm off now>
B&O has always prided itself on generating stylish, high modern componentry that tries to be at the forefront of industrial design, yet still striving to be a fully functional, working appliance that happens to be some sort of work of art. But the key phrase is [i]tries to[/i]. At times they've become a caricature of their own past glories. I think this is one instance where that's happened once again. It's no different than their BeoCom wired phones, in that they seem to exist for their sculptural statement than for anything so [i]pedestrian[/i] as call quality or packing in a wealth of functions. Whatever.
Perhaps if I was some trend-following snob wanna-be this thing would appeal to me, but [i]pu-leeze[/i], this Serene looks like a [i]reject[/i] that couldn't pass muster when The Sharper Image was looking for product to put in their next catalog. Doesn't the [i]cheap[/i] aisle at Wal-Mart or Office Depot already have [i]cheap[/i] Asian-sourced drivel (aka "Executive Gifts") that looks EXACTLY like this nonsense? Imagine B&O knocking off the junk makers...who woulda thunk it?