Versace Unique launched, Vertu put on notice
By Vlad Savov 
posted May 20th 2010 4:47AM
posted May 20th 2010 4:47AM
May 20, 2010
Versace announces the launch of Versace Unique
Seoul (Korea Newswire) May 20, 2010 -- Versace, in collaboration with ModeLabs Group, announces the launch of Versace Unique, the first luxury touchscreen and full-featured multimedia creation that will be sold through the most important exclusive watch and fine jewellery networks and Versace flagship boutiques worldwide from early June 2010.
Versace Unique unites all essential functions for professional and personal use, crafted from the finest materials, hand-assembled in France and built to the uncompromising standards of all the Versace products. The face is constructed from pure high-tech ceramic or handmade lacquers delicately framed with an 18K yellow gold finish or 316L grade stainless steel inlay. The back is wrapped in the finest handcrafted leather, embossed with the Medusa head. The Versace Unique sapphire crystal screen is the largest single piece of this high-tech material ever produced for consumers. Impossible to scratch, smooth and receptive, it provides an ideal conductivity and precision control of the touchphone interface.
Beneath the precious exterior of Versace Unique lies a world of advanced technology created by LG that guarantees a seamless interface between life and technology, design and usefulness. Versace Unique handles all the duties of a phone, 3G network, client e-mail, media player, full-powered 5-megapixel flash camera and netbook. It features unprecedented Dolby Mobile surround sound technology for high quality in ringtones, MP3 music files and video with 30 hours of playtime.
Gian Giacomo Ferraris, Chief Executive Officer of Versace Group said: "We are excited about Versace Unique. Our team has worked well with our partners at Modelabs to manufacture a very innovative product which perfectly blends luxury materials, craftsmanship and the advanced technologies of LG. As we move forward in the development of our business, we are particularly happy to be able to strengthen the offer of luxury accessories that complement our core fashion products in line with Versace`s DNA."
"The creation of a mobile phone for a luxury brand is first and foremost a matter of passion. At the origin of a new product, a mysterious alchemy takes form between the brand's creative style and our own know-how allying tradition and innovation whilst at the same time respecting the highest criteria of design, selection of materials, technologies and great attention to appearance. Such is the passion that makes our mobile phones unique," commented Stéphane Bohbot, ModeLabs CEO.
For more information please visit: http://www.versace.com/mobile .
vertu looks much batter...
Barney on a diet
@mayhem121 hmm...
@Mll4eveR my cake has some good batter too
@Mll4eveR
it's all relative. Funny how these overpriced "fashion" phones tend to be some of the ugliest phones on the market.
@Mll4eveR
It's not about looking better, for them, it's about trying to get other people noticing you can spend a fortune on a device or brand, because success in life equates to how much disposable income you earn. The process of wondering why you are still unhappy despite this financial wealth and expensive assets usually comes much later :)
And don't knock pop stars, models etc. for spending money on diamonds and cars, we need stupid rich people to drive the economy and spend their wealth rather than hoard it. Instead of laughing at the rapper who wears a $1m diamond chain while complaining without irony that 'his people have been repressed for centuries', we should be selling him more exclusive rubbish like this phone, and divest the profits into beneficial schemes eg. stopping the diamond exploitation in Africa.
@Mll4eveR
Well it's "unique"ly fugly bar none I'd give it that.I always thought that humanity as a civilization defines "progress" in luxe as NOT anywhere near this eye corroding POS they call a design?
@Mll4eveR
Or better..
unless you mean Vertu looks much 'a gradual backward slope in a wall or similar structure.'
what does the it look like when its turned on?
@brettlewis After a Versace logo appears, a video of Nelson runs and says HA-HA!...
@brettlewis maybe its a animated gif of the people at Versace laughing at the user.
wonder if it'll run android :O
that is a terrible render
@glenskey if this is fashion there is a bum that lives close to the super market i shop that looks almost like this... I guess he should be in the fashion world then.
@Mr w00t
i would love to see a picture of said purple bum
@glenskey how's that a terrible render? what's wrong with it?
@glenskey I better not... he talks alone and from my home I swear I can smell him..
Who knows what he might do if I go there and snap a pick of him...
"smilllllee.... you gonna be on the internets CLICK"
The uglier the phone, the more the rich will pay for it.
@papari
Exactly.
It's kind of like the old saying:
If you are poor and weird, you are called crazy. If you are rich and weird, you are called eccentric.
If this phone was introduced by some no-name brand for $100, it would be called tacky and out of date. It's introduced by a famous brand at a ridiculous price and it's called fashion.
:rolleyes:
Vertu phones are much prettier than that. And of course, there is the concierge service...
@JFH Nokia based Vertu phones are ugly ducks. This one looks nice!
@jussipussi
I do not care what they are based on, the constellation looks a lot better IMHO. :)
How come renowned designers make such ugly stuff?
@Atkins who know's maybe they feel as though customers will buy any crap that has their logo plastered on it for ridiculous amounts of money
@mayhem121 Personally I have no problem paying more to have some nice design (of course the premium I would pay for design is not infinite), but this isn't even nice design!
EWWWWW.
What is the operating system on this one? Why didn't the story tell us this information? Are we - the readers - supposed to do the journalism on Engadget?
@jussipussi its LG homebrew, therefore it will be kinda meh
A) I'm sure it will look much better in Black, but have slightly less "look at how spuriously expensive my phone is!" appeal as such.
B) I think that the industry should try to move toward making sapphire screens standard on all touch phones (or at least make an effort to see if it can be any way cost effective for higher end phones). People think Gorilla glass is tough stuff . . . I have a watch with a sapphire face, and it's just amazing the amount of punishment it can take without getting a scratch. You basically have to rub diamonds on it in order to damage it.
I like how people with money like to buy all these gawdawful devices.
That said, I don't have money but some of Vertu stuff do look really nice (for my taste).
I prefer Vertu over this purple ... thing. At least Vertu has gold and diamond encrusted dragons on their phones. What is this... Versace thing? Purple leather and white gold bezel? pfft.
wait for the cheaper LG version.
My eyes! The goggles do nothing!
Hope it runs android. Does look nice though, but I wish I had a different color choice.
My eyes! The goggles do nothing!
It's a fake. It's not ugly enough to be a true Versace phone.
Wow... Did ModeLab tried to imitate the Donatello look on the phone? Bright colors wrapping dark skin, not even saying both are ugly.
ModeLab should quit. So far I've sen nothing but ugliness from them.
Is it me, or does that unit look.... fat? Also kinda of like Donatello....
I just ate lunch before seeing that image. I don't feel so good now
Meh... I would rather have a Shenzhen KIRF.
That just made me throw up in my mouth.
The Dior one is wayyyyy better.
The phone looks lame and if it has an LG OS it will truly suck, but a sapphire crystal screen is awesome (no scratches).
"lush phone-like pieces of handheld jewelery"...LOL! That's exactly what the iPhone is to anyone living in Chicago, San Francisco or New York.
This looks as Willy Wonka's phone.
Totally expect to see this in Transformers 3. It'll be the newest little comic relief Decepticon!