The latest weird phone from Toshiba

(Credit: BornRich)

Toshiba may not be the best-known manufacturer of mobile phones, but it certainly keeps things interesting. When it's not making Transformer wannabes, it's churning out peculiar combo devices with strange circular dial pads.

So it really should come as little surprise that its latest offering is anything but conventional either. The "Cosmic Shiner" is a luxury handset with diamond accents presented in a handmade lacquer box, but that's not the unusual aspect of this phone: "Buyers will be required to purchase the April issue of Seven Hills magazine to get the required unique ID codes that will initiate the credit-card only purchase process for the $4,000 luxury cell phone," according to BornRich, "which will include various agency arrangements such as hotel and restaurant bookings as well as other special privileges."

Call us difficult, but we don't think anyone should have to jump through hoops to pay $4,000 for anything. For that kind of money, they should hand-deliver the thing and cook dinner while they're there.