TAG Heuer's ?3,400 Meridiist handset gets official

Surely those rumored shots of TAG Heuer's luxurious first handset from last week are still stuck in your head, right? Go on and purge those puppies right on out, as we've got the very first press shots (more in the read link) of the now-official Meridiist to focus our attention on. Reportedly, the handset was indeed developed in partnership with Modelabs, and beyond the all-metal casing, you can also expect a sapphire crystal screen, 2-megapixel camera, multimedia player, 1.9-inch QVGA display, Bluetooth and a battery good for 7-hours of yappin' aimlessly about how pricey your new mobile is. Speaking of which, did we mention this prized piece will run you between €3,400 ($5,420) and €3,900 ($6,216), depending on customizations, when it sashays onto the scene in Q2? Yeah, ouch.

[AdamK @ Apr 16th 2008 3:36PM]

...for that price it'd better be kinetic powered. Or at least come with 3G and multitouch.

[Nick M. @ Apr 16th 2008 10:11PM]

for that price it better do what it looks like it does... become an electric razor.

The new all in one mobile device for the jet setting upper level business exec...

[Andrew @ Apr 16th 2008 3:41PM]

2 megapixel?

[omini_kimo @ Apr 16th 2008 3:42PM]

So exactly HOW is this thing worth 6 grand?

The crazy ass MBA customizations at least have crystals

[synf @ Apr 16th 2008 3:47PM]

I think it's just a drive to sell more watches. And at that price I would expect it to make me dinner.

Seriously though I would expect it to play every media format known to man. I would expect software for both windows and mac. I would expect every standard under the sun... Jeez, just who is going to pay this ..

[synf @ Apr 16th 2008 3:50PM]

its not that nice either.... well I cant decide if its nice or not.

[FrankTheCrank @ Apr 16th 2008 3:51PM]

The iPhone still kicks it's ass. iPhone FTW!

[Bryan Thornsberry @ Apr 16th 2008 3:58PM]

wow, way to compare two completely unrelated products and make yourself look like a total douche in the process.

if these people even sell one of these, you know they'll be laughing their way to the bank. really though, hats off to companies that can take a completely mediocre product, put a fancy logo and a touch of leather on it followed by a limited produciton run and a hefty pricetag, and come away with a new yacht for every member of the board. consumers are saps and if you disagree then well... your wrong.

[Heathen @ Apr 16th 2008 5:04PM]

Whee and the apple tard - chimes in.
Thanks for coming out...
The Apple religious extremists are really getting me down! Why is it every thread gets crapped on by idiots who think Apple is something more than an electronics manufacturer.

[FrankTheCrank @ Apr 16th 2008 10:54PM]

Bryan...get the stick out of your ass.

That phone is ugly and looks like something out of 2001.

There is nothing gee or whiz about it.

I don't give a crap about Apple. I'm strictly a PC guy. But after playing with an iPhone, I'm a believer...so much so I bought one just to play with it.

[gabe @ Apr 16th 2008 3:52PM]

this phone must have automatic movement - for the sticker price!

(What is an automatic watch?

An automatic is a mechanical watch whose mainspring is wound as a result of the wearer's arm motion.)

[Matt @ Apr 16th 2008 3:54PM]

how is this luxurious, aside from the price tag?

[stankychicken @ Apr 16th 2008 4:15PM]

anyone who buys this deserves to be beaten, thrown in prison and raped, let back out into the world, then shot dead infront of their family.

[Arsenal @ Apr 16th 2008 4:38PM]

Wow.... overreact to things much?

[holycow @ Apr 16th 2008 4:47PM]

Paris Hilton - "Been there, done that"

[rip @ Apr 16th 2008 4:16PM]

Who the hell is going to buy this?

Anyone that can afford to and actually would spend 5k on a cell phone would NEVER buy a Tag. Except maybe for their kid. As a toy. Or maybe for their pet dog.

Now if it came from a true luxury watch brand, I suppose I could understand it more. Still absurdly priced though.

A mid-level watch company selling a stratospheric high level cell phone. wtf.

[rip @ Apr 16th 2008 4:19PM]

And when I say mid-level, I mean that at best. Many would consider Tag low end.

[simon @ Apr 16th 2008 4:47PM]

I got my Tag Series 2000 back in 94 (after Senna crashed). Still going strong despite regular abuse. Tough as nails crystal. It's my day to day watch, for special occasions I have a Girard-Perregaux automatic from when they still made their own movement. So what do you consider a high end watch? Blancpain?

Simon

[doctorSpoc @ Apr 16th 2008 4:58PM]

Patek-Philippe is high end... TAG Heuer... is towards the vulgar/lower-mid end of the scale as far as watches go...

[rip @ Apr 16th 2008 6:22PM]

Well there are lots of companies I'd consider high end. Blancpain is one of them. But I'd consider Breguet, Patek, Vacheron, Ulysse Nardin and Lange among the high end.

GP is a fine maker too.

I'm not saying that Tag's aren't reliable or well made. Just not high end. I wear an Omega that is dead reliable, but I really wouldn't consider it high end.

Call it snobbery, but I have a hard time elevating a company that sells quartz watches and sells in major department stores to the luxe/high end level.

That goes for any so-called "fashion" watches too. Like Gucci. Which would be junk in my book.

[spacegravity4me @ Apr 16th 2008 4:19PM]

you guys remember that fake laptop add by lenovo where they dropped the laptop and it automatically hovered before hitting the ground? Ya... it better do that.

[Brian @ Apr 16th 2008 4:22PM]

Maybe its just my monitor or the picture angle, but it appears to be 4 inches thick...lol.

[warrrennnnn @ Apr 17th 2008 1:56AM]

That's what she said.

[warrrennnnn @ Apr 17th 2008 1:56AM]

That's what she said.

[Frankenstein Black @ Apr 16th 2008 4:25PM]

Cost? Peanuts compared to the Vertu! And I bet it can't even be run over by a race car like the Vertu. http://gizmodo.com/tag/vertu/

[cave12man @ Apr 16th 2008 4:28PM]

Kinda looks like a scaled down zack morris phone to me...im with everyone else on trying to figure out what about this phone is worth 6 grand except for the TAG name. 2 mp camera? 2 inch screen? wtf?

[shmengie @ Apr 16th 2008 4:49PM]

$6200 and it doesn't even have an auto-suck?

[doctorSpoc @ Apr 16th 2008 4:51PM]

7 grand? wtf!!

so i guess they just stamp "Moron-Sucker" on your forehead as you leave the checkout right? please tell me no one is stupid enough to be suckered into buying such a low spec'd overpriced device.. it has the spec of a phone from 2 years ago! i.e. it's literally a piece of junk.

Tag designers... think you forgot that you can make an advanced phone super slick and sell it at a premium, but you can sell a POS like this and pretty it up a bit and sell for a ridiculous price like this... people just aren't that stupid.

this is the handset equivalent of a DeLorean... a k-car wrapped in stainless steel... what a joke!

so if you buy these do you get a deal on your Pear speaker cables

[Sopalin @ Apr 16th 2008 5:02PM]

The design of this phone is a little bit sad.

[Murphy Mac @ Apr 16th 2008 4:38PM]

This is one really lazy way to compete with better phones.

[holycow @ Apr 16th 2008 4:46PM]

VERTU's never looked really good either..

[Alex @ Apr 16th 2008 10:43PM]

Has everyone forgotten Vertu? They have made equally (if not more) expensive phones for years and their feature-set is crap (not counting the 24-hour concierge service). They sell, and so will these.

But yeah, it's a bit chunky looking for the price.

[Schfelzerberg @ Apr 17th 2008 12:27AM]

Wow. I have Tag Heuer watches and they only a few of them cost at least or more than $5K. This is just too expensive for a cellphone. But apparently the screen is made of sapphire or quartz and the body the typical stuff they use on their watches. But I'd rather replace my cellphone ten times rather than buy a phone that can be drubbed around. For $500 I can get a slew of good phones like the iPhone or the high-end Samsungs and Sony Ericssons, or just a Nokia 8800 if I fancy my phone as an accessory. But then again I'd have to admit this TAG Heuer phone is a head-turner -- and so is the price tag which will make peoples' heads turn away.

[skulldriveshaft @ Apr 17th 2008 12:51AM]

for those times when a weapon is not readily at hand...

[Nelson @ Apr 20th 2008 7:39PM]

But will it actually call someone? Expensive piece of sh*t!