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Vertu posts

Vertu Constellation Ayxta luxo-flip slums it at the FCC

by Nilay Patel posted Sep 29th 2009 at 3:47PM

You might think you're hot stuff for carrying around a new Vertu Constellation Ayxta, but this is America, bub -- and your blinged-up Nokia has to kick it at the FCC just like everyone else. Of course, without that fancy always-on-call Concierge service and Vertu Select, all you're really looking at here is a pretty anonymous featurephone wrapped up in high-end garb, but you're not spending your $10,500 on features here -- you're spending it because you're too lazy and rich to buy something good.

Vertu announces Constellation Ayxta flip phone for the discerning, friendless traveler

by Laura June posted Sep 25th 2009 at 10:31AM

Vertu's not known for making cut rate electronics, so this is probably the closest it'll ever come. The company's just unveiled its latest flip phone, the Constellation Ayxta. The Ayxta is aimed at citizens of the world who are looking for a "high quality product to assist in maintaining their standard of living wherever they may be," -- i.e., lazy people who'd rather throw money at something than figure out what to do on their own on a Friday night in Vienna. We can sympathize -- sort of. To that end, the handset will be kitted with all manner of awesomeness, including Vertu's own Concierge service which puts you on the line with a customer service representative directly -- no hold required. Users will also get access to Vertu Select -- which, as we said before, will help you out and tell you where all the cool people are in whatever one horse town you happen to be in at the moment. It's got 3G and a micros SD slot for up to 8GB of storage, plus a 3.0 megapixel cam with integrated flash (which is always nice), but other than that it's pretty unimpressive. The Constellation Ayxta is available in Europe now, and for a very affordable €4,900 to €6,500 -- somewhere in the neighborhood of $7,000 - $10,500.

[Via T3]

Vertu's Constellation Pure series is like every other Constellation: drab and overpriced

by Darren Murph posted Feb 20th 2009 at 11:07AM

Seriously Vertu -- we have zero qualms with you charging €6,800 ($8,574) for a handset, but could you at least work in a little innovation next time? At first glance, the new Constellation Pure lineup looks like every other Constellation ever produced by the luxury phone maker, and it's not until you read that they're built from steel, leather and ceramics that you realize something's different. The set is expected to hit the market soon in white, black and silver, each of which will be limited to 2,500 units. We hear these things aren't half bad at making calls, either, but you know it's that iconic "V" logo you're really dropping the Euros for.

[Via Sybarites]

Vertu's overpriced Signature S Design gets hands-on treatment

by Darren Murph posted Jan 28th 2009 at 7:02AM

We won't lie -- we've always been harsh on Vertu handsets. As a rule, they're technologically inferior to handsets that are a twelfth the price, and honestly, they're usually pretty unsightly. But you know, Boy Genius Report's hands-on experience with the stainless steel Signature S Design really has us back on the fence. Sure, it's the price of a decent subcompact, but man, it's as sleek as sleek could ever hope to be. Have a look in the read link for a hands-on gallery that's sure to make you envious -- whether you're willing to admit it or not.

Vertu opens tasteful, refined retail location in Japan

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jan 21st 2009 at 4:32PM

It's no secret that Vertu's delicate, understated design and real commitment to value for your hard-earned dollar have won the brand lots of fans here at Engadget -- and we're still kicking ourselves for being too busy to check out the company's store in Las Vegas during CES. Our Japanese readers are in luck, however -- come February 19, people in Ginza will have a Vertu store to call their own. Sure the thing looks a little less gaudy than we would have imagined -- an eighteen foot tall, solid gold, fire-breathing Dragon would have been nice -- but you can't really argue with a place that sets aside an entire floor for each handset line it carries (including Ferrari, Ascent and Signature). If you get a chance to visit, let us know what you think! More pics after the break.

Continue reading Vertu opens tasteful, refined retail location in Japan

Vertu Signature Dragon handset puts the 'ugh' in 'luxury'

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Dec 24th 2008 at 4:24PM

It looks like Vertu isn't resting on its laurels -- a mere two years after snatching the "world's ugliest phone title" with its Signature Cobra, the company's back with the Signature Dragon. What can we say about this one? Not much, seeing as how the thing isn't even listed on the company's website. Even so, since the Cobra retailed for over a quarter of a million bucks we're guessing this new handset ain't gonna be cheap. Feel free to sneak a peek at the thing in the Vertu store in Las Vegas's Wynn Hotel when you hit the town for CES. As an aside, when researching this post we came across an erotic French novel titled Dragon de Vertu which is on sale for about $30. Even if you don't read French, we still think it'd be a better use of your hard earned cash -- and if you do read French, please underline the good parts before you pass it on to us.

Read: Vertu to display its luxury handset 'Vertu Signature Dragon'
Read: Dragon de Vertu by Francis Tigrone

The solid gold Vertu Boucheron 150 makes us hate humanity

by Thomas Ricker posted Dec 10th 2008 at 4:32AM

You know how you can tell that this is a "luxury" phone? It looks like it was shaped by an overly taut sphincter. The Vertu Boucheron 150 is made from "solid gold" and is meant to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Boucheron jewelry house in Paris. According to the designer, it took 1,000 hours to cut into shape, 700 hours to hand polish, and more than 500 hours to build. Funny, it only took us a split-second to wretch. Do the Japanese really prefer these Vertu designs from Nokia over the E71? No price or any real detail announced, just a picture of the enormous packing box after the break.

[Via Unwired View, thanks Robin of L.]

Continue reading The solid gold Vertu Boucheron 150 makes us hate humanity

Nokia pulls out of Japan, nobody notices

by Thomas Ricker posted Nov 27th 2008 at 3:51AM

It's not like Nokia was dominating sales in Japan anyway -- far from it. So it's not too big a loss to walk away from its near 1 percent market share when it's sitting atop a (dwindling) ~~40%~~ 39% share globally. According to Nokia vice president Timo Ihamuotila, "We have judged that we cannot continue to invest in product development just for Japan amid the current tough economic conditions." Nokia will continue to sell its luxury Vertu branded phones though, presumably on that MVNO Nokia is rumored to be rolling out this spring.

Vertu's Signature S Design is real, hits FCC

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 12th 2008 at 3:11PM

Tycoons of the world, get out your pocketbooks. Actually, wait, scratch that -- kick back, relax, and let your butler do it for you, because Vertu has a new multi-thousand dollar toy for your enjoyment. The FCC has revealed that Nokia's ultra-luxe division has finally updated its flagship Signature model to include 3G, and they've taken the opportunity to completely redesign it to make it slimmer, hotter, and presumably, pricier than ever before. The all-new Signature features quadband EDGE, HSDPA on the 850 and 2100MHz bands, and WiFi -- a Vertu first -- which means we should probably expect a fabulous browser to go with that generously-proportioned OLED display. Well, we can't, since we'll never get closer than a thick sheet of security glass to this thing -- but someone can.

Update: The phone's officially been unveiled on Vertu's site as the Signature S Design, hitting a boutique you can't get into unless you're dressed to impress near you come next month.

Vertu does it again, crafts second Ferrari phone for $25K

by Chris Ziegler posted Sep 27th 2007 at 1:25PM

See, here's the thing about Vertu phones: anyone who's wealthy enough to afford one probably wants (and can afford) more than one, probably doesn't care about newfangled goodies like 3G or a large, high resolution display, and probably keeps a Ferrari or two in the garage. On that note we give you the "Ascent Ferrari 60," the Nokia division's second Ferrari-themed handset. Unlike the first -- which happened to also be an Ascent -- the Ferrari 60 features a shift gate on its posterior instead of a brake pedal, which clearly makes it worth the €18,000 (about $25,370) asking price. Of course, that hefty cost of admission also nets you an elaborately fashioned storage box, a Vertu Aerius headset, and an actual valve out of a Ferrari F1 car, so the 60 lucky sons of guns that grab this thing are in for a treat (if valves and outdated Bluetooth headsets are your thing). Check it out at Nokia's London, Paris, Singapore, and Hong Kong locations.

[Via Autoblog, thanks Kane]

Read - Sybarites
Read - Reuters

Vertu's 3G Ascent Ti hits FCC

by Chris Ziegler posted Jul 5th 2007 at 11:31AM

You've gotta give credit to Vertu for maximizing the life of its Signature and Ascent models by tweaking colors and precious metals ad nauseam, but at some point, you knew they had to just gut the thing and start anew. This here "Ascent Ti" just passed through the FCC, taking the Ascent formula and updating key specs to bring the luxury phone well into 2007. Namely, the Ascent Ti offers UMTS 2100 (for 3G data pretty much everywhere but here), a whopping 3 megapixel autofocus camera with flash, and what appears to be a well-updated, Vertu customized build of Series 40. No word on release date, but unless your last name happens to be "Rockefeller," you may need the time to save the dough anyway.

Nearly $6 million in Vertu phones stolen from van

by Darren Murph posted Jun 4th 2007 at 1:12AM

Stealing £3 million ($5.94 million) worth of mobile phones sure sounds like a risky way to may a buck, but if you're going to jack mobile handsets, you might as well swipe the ones that depreciate the least, eh? A crew of four men in Europe apparently agreed with that mantra, as they got up the nerve to run a Vertu van off the road with their Subaru and reportedly swiped a fair amount of handsets before darting off. There was no word on just how many phones were actually stolen, but we're sure the boys in blue found a fully stocked trunk after it located the crashed vehicle in Slough, Banks. Two of the four masked bandits were later captured and arrested for their part in the heist, but the other duo is probably trying to figure out how in the world they would unload hordes of these highly sought after mobiles without garnering suspicion in the first place.

[Via BGR]

Vertu Ascent, now in "I drive a Ferrari" flavor

by Chris Ziegler posted Mar 29th 2007 at 8:29PM

When you think about it, Vertus and Ferraris have a lot in common: just as Ferraris give a select few the opportunity to spend an insane amount of cash on an object that provides little more value than a, say, $1,000 used car, Vertu offers a product with little additional value (and in some cases, less value) than phones offered free from carriers. Of course, you can't put a price on status, so getting these two status symbols to hook up and co-brand a device seems like a match made in heaven (more appropriate than a Ferrari-branded Moto, for example). The "Ferrari Challenge" rendition of the Ascent -- in red and black leather -- is limited to 1,947 examples (can that many people in the world really afford this thing?), each featuring a couple well-placed Ferrari logos and some weird thing on the back that's apparently supposed to look like a brake pedal. Look for it to grace your local Vertu retailer in July -- but please don't use it while driving, lest you destroy your real Ferrari, k?

[Via Autoblog, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Vertu's Signature Cobra claims "world's ugliest phone" throne

by Paul Miller posted Dec 21st 2006 at 11:05AM

What's there really to know here? Small luxury phone manufacturer goes insane, slaps a pair of hugemongous diamonds, two emeralds and 439 rubies on to an absolutely garish cobra, glues it to a lame-ass phone and sells the setup for $310,000? Pretty much. We can only take solace in the fact that only 8 of these Signature Cobra phones will be made by Vertu and its partner in crime, French jeweler Boucheron. There's also a "cheap" version, the $115k Signature Python, which is due for a production run 26 strong, but if you're actually going to spring for something this ridiculous, why not go all the way, right?

[Via SlashPhone; Thanks Trae M]

Vertu wraps up Racetrack Legends series with box set

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 10th 2006 at 11:17PM

Purchasing a single Vertu handset probably qualifies as conspicuous consumption in most social circles. What term, then, can be used to describe the act of purchasing every model in the company's limited-edition "Racetrack Legends" series along with a matching, handcrafted, carbon fiber display case? We're not sure, but needless to say, we've added this puppy to our "things to buy when we make our first billion" list. As a refresher, the Racetrack Legends handsets hail from Vertu's Ascent line of phones / fashion accessories; with a tri-band GSM radio (no EDGE) and no camera, the meager tech specs have no bearing on the MSRP whatsoever, but you'll get six of the world's greatest race tracks neatly engraved on the handsets' posteriors -- which is more than we can say for pretty much any phone we've ever used. For the record, the last two handsets to be released in the series are Monaco and Nürburgring, which can also be purchased independently of their lavish case. We don't have the list price for any of these goodies in front of us at the moment, but we're not sure we want to know.

[Via Autoblog]