Gold -- Engadget

Blinged out Michael Jackson phone is fashionably late

by Laura June posted Nov 6th 2009 at 12:25PM

Michael Jackson may never take the stage again, but that doesn't mean you can't commemorate him in your pocket, right? This special, "limited edition" mobile phone appears to have been dipped in gold and diamonds, and, if we're not mistaken... it's basically a Vertu KIRF that's dressed like a headless MJ? We're pretty light on specs and pricing information here, but rest assured that unless you live in China, you'll probably never be able to get your be-gloved hand on one of these. Nothing like cashing in on the dead.

[Via Shanzhai]

Twitter and Facebook for Xbox Live will be free for Gold members, 'free trial' for Silver

by Ross Miller posted Aug 28th 2009 at 12:52AM

This shouldn't really come as too much of a surprise, but anyone wanting to enjoy Twitter and Facebook on Xbox Live will have to pony up for Gold member subscription, the same premium prerequisite currently needed for Netflix Instant Watch and pretty much all online gaming. Silver membership will be given a "free trial," but exactly what limitations that entails, or if they'll be an option to "upgrade" to the full version, is anyone's guess.

Gold, diamond-leafed Gaiser PCs might just bring Marie Antoinette back from the grave

by Laura June posted Aug 7th 2009 at 1:06PM

Don't get us wrong -- we're all in favor of purposeless, ostentatious, and classless displays of wealth -- but we prefer it to be a little less... tacky? German manufacturer High End PCs have the high end part down pat -- they'll dip your desktop in all manners of gold (up to 24 karat!), cubic zirconia and of course, diamonds. Now, we don't have any specs on these puppies -- though we suspect performance is beside the point. Our only real qualm with the product is that it looks like a Kleenex box from Don Johnson's bathroom in 1986. But, if you have a stack of money hanging around and you just can't be bothered to think of really awesome things to do with it, Gaiser's PCs start from about $8,000 and run up to around $33,000.

[Via Oh! Gizmo]

Motorola Ivory E18 luxury phone developed, scrapped

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jul 20th 2009 at 5:32PM

If you're considering a luxury cellphone, you've probably given some thought to the Aura -- either as an object of unattainable techno-lust, or as a way to lighten your wallet by a grand or two (don't even get us started in Vertu). According to Mobile Review, Motorola wasn't planning on stopping there: The Ivory E18 (a name which either evokes elegance or animal cruelty, depending on your POV) featured a slider with two movements (a short slide for function keys, and a longer for the T9 keypad), a small footprint, and a 3 megapixel camera. The price? Well, for the stainless steel chassis you were looking at about €2,000 (about $2,821 at the moment). Also planned were phones with gold and platinum chassis, which would take the purchase price up to "several tens of thousands" of Euros. If Motorola wasn't aware of the sheer silliness of such an extravagant phone, at least the carriers were -- apparently it was lack of interest on their part that caused Moto to sack the project. Make sure you hit that read link for the whole story -- in Bulgarian.

[Via Unwired View]

Aussie whiz-kids can cram 1.6TB on a DVD-sized disc, go Outback tonight

by Darren Murph posted May 21st 2009 at 6:06AM

Don't take it personally, Blu-ray -- we still love you and all, but there's just something dreamy about baking 1.6TB of information onto a blank piece of optical media we can actually afford. According to a new report, a crew of researchers at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia have exploited the properties of a certain gold nano-rod that will theoretically enable them to shove 300 DVDs worth of data onto a single disc. Calling the method "five-dimensional optical recording," the technique "employs nanometer-scale particles of gold as a recording medium," and according to developers, it's primed for commercialization. Essentially, these gurus have figured out how to add a spectral and polarization dimension, giving them the ability to record information "in a range of different color wavelengths on the same physical disc." As for the chances this actually makes it out of the laboratory and into the lives of real humans? Slim, Jim.

[Thanks, Sam]

Gold Bullion Wireless Mouse only looks like a million bucks

by Darren Murph posted Apr 9th 2009 at 2:06AM

Look, we fully understand the dilemma. You picked up a Pure*Gold PC late last year, and you've been tirelessly searching for a suitable mouse to use with it ever since. At long, long last, said device is finally upon us. Too comical for Crapgadget and too outlandish to be taken seriously, the Gold Bullion Wireless Mouse operates on practically any USB-enabled machine and is coated with precisely zero atoms of gold film. In other words, around 98 percent of the $34.68 asking price is for the looks alone, but you know it's worth it.

[Via technabob]

DIY Screw-Nut rings replace roses, express affection

by Darren Murph posted Feb 14th 2009 at 10:17AM

Quick, guys! It's Valentine's Day! If you spent all week bringing home the cheddar and completely glossed over the need to buy flowers / chocolates / new cars / diamonds / Neil Diamond records, we've found just the thing to save your Saturday (and beyond). These DIY Screw-Nut rings aren't the most elaborate things in the world, but given that they'll be hand crafted by you, they pack an extraordinary amount of "aww" power. They're actually a spinoff of a more classy iteration, which saw the designer use 24-karat gold wedding bands and then add on the screw head and nut. We've heard that titanium and stainless steel will cut it if you're on a tight budget, but regardless of the chemical makeup, "it's the thought that counts."

Read - Original project
Read - Cheaper method

Mobiado frightens and offends with Professional 105GMT Gold handset

by Darren Murph posted Dec 8th 2008 at 11:40AM

We've seen some ugly cellphones in our day, but we can't recall the last time we felt that touching one could cause irreversible harm to our bodies and minds. Falling squarely in the category of "wouldn't touch with a ~~ten~~ twenty foot poll" is Mobiado's Professional 105GMT Gold. This abomination was crafted from sapphire crystal, Ebony wood and a CNC machined frame which is doused in 24-carat gold. You'll also find a totally not awesome 1GB of inbuilt memory, a ho hum 2-megapixel camera and a 2-inch 320 x 240 resolution display. It also features multimedia playback, a quad-band GSM radio, Bluetooth, optional diamonds and a Discovery watch mechanism that was clearly added in a desperation move to make this seem "luxurious." No word on pricing, and we don't plan on digging around to find out.

[Via UnwiredView]

Gilded, diamond-encrusted earphones go for £3,499

by Darren Murph posted Nov 18th 2008 at 8:15AM

We've definitely seen more expensive earphone covers in our day, but these are certainly amongst the most pricey 'buds out there. A single set of these Casa Gi-designed earbuds are currently being sold in Bristol for £3,499 ($5,253), and all that money goes towards 59 diamonds (per bud) and an 18-carat gold coating. Quite frankly, we tend to feel that these are pretty garish, but we've no doubt whatsoever that someone, somewhere will make the trip over and snatch 'em up. 'Course, we can't say how long they'll remain safely lodged in the owners ears given the gadget crime rate in Britain, but we get the feeling these won't really be used for casual listening, anyway.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Pure*Gold PC is just what you think it is

by Donald Melanson posted Oct 30th 2008 at 1:53PM

It's been a little while since we've seen a full-size gold-plated PC, but it looks like the advent of small form factor PCs is keeping this little bit of excess alive even in these economic hard times, and the folks at Plush Department have even managed to find it in themselves to provide a matching amplifier for its new Pure*Gold PC. From the looks of it, they've also managed to cram some reasonably high-end specs into the PC, including an unspecified Core 2 Duo processor, 4GB of RAM, a 1TB hard drive, NVIDIA GeForce 8600GT graphics with 512MB of RAM, and a generous eight USB ports and two FireWire ports. No word on a price, naturally, but, whatever exorbitant amount it is, you can just tell yourself that it's not just a PC, it's an investment.

[Via musicradar.com]

ASUS doles out gold and blue Eee PCs

by Darren Murph posted Sep 27th 2008 at 8:07PM

With the introduction of the well-received N10, we thought maybe -- just maybe -- ASUS was moving beyond its disgusting obsession with mutilating the Eee brand. Instead, we're now faced with fresh hues of two old faces: the blue 901A and the gilded 900A. Looks as if all the internals have remained the same, though there's no indication what kind of premium (if any) you'll have to pay for your color of choice.

[Thanks, Sascha]

Nikon's ritzy D60 Black Gold edition DSLR seen in the wild

by Darren Murph posted Sep 26th 2008 at 9:25AM

We've seen Pentax put the Midas touch on a few of its DSLRs before, but Nikon? In a rare effort to draw attention to its D60, the outfit has evidently unveiled a "Black Gold" edition which merely adds a few niceties in the way of revamped trim. In other words, you'll see no upgrades on the camera that aren't cosmetic, and unless you're really into that gilded look, you may not even appreciate the Gold Edition strap, logo'd box, gold shutter button / strap lugs and the shiny new D60 badge. Is $50 too much to ask for those puny tweaks? Answer with your wallet, please.

[Thanks, Bo]

Crapgadget: revolving USB hub, revolting MP4 watch, lavish amounts of lameness

by Darren Murph posted Jun 22nd 2008 at 11:11PM

Consider yourselves fortunate. You've had well over two whole months without an episode of Crapgadget, but today, that grace period ends. The most recent laughable load includes an absolutely vile wristwatch that supposedly plays MP3s / MP4s if you can manage to glance away from the bezel and band. Furthermore, we've got a TV tuner and webcam -- in one -- alongside a way-too-expensive WiFi sniffing pen that doesn't do 802.11n. Bringing up the rear is Connectland's 180° X2 Revolving USB Hub, which clearly raises the bar in USB hub design stupidity. Per usual, we're begging for your vote on the crappiest below, but we'll understand if you just can't bear the thought of spending another moment thinking about these pitiful creations.

Read - Golden MP3 / MP4 watch
Read - Plustek TVcam VD100
Read - Revolving USB hub
Read - WiFi sniffing pen

Mobiado Professional 105 EM / GCB handsets: too luxurious for our fingers

by Darren Murph posted Jun 12th 2008 at 12:32PM

Heads up, affluent sect. The immensely pricey Professional 105 line is expanding, as two new members slip in to tempt your stuffed wallet. Mobiado's Professional 105 EM is available in Cocobolo and Ebony, and the frame is even constructed from anodized aluminum; you'll also notice sapphire crystal buttons and a black finish. As for the Professional 105 GCB, it's layered with a 5-micron thick 24-karat gold plating and jazzed up with a fancy logo 'round back. Both candybars feature quad-band GSM support, a measly 1GB of internal storage space and a ho hum 2-megapixel camera, but fret not, as it'll (very likely) be the most expensive lackluster cellphone you'll ever pay for.

[Via UnwiredView]

Cooper's gilded Amber F1 PMP is too flashy for its own good

by Darren Murph posted May 5th 2008 at 3:29PM

We'll spare you our feelings on just how cheesy this thing looks, as we're fairly certain you can judge that for yourself. Those with no shame and an unrequited love for all things gold, however, may actually find this one quite appealing. Cooper's Amber F1 purportedly features a 2.8-inch widescreen LCD, support for RMVB, AVI and FLV formats, a built-in equalizer, SRS WOW technology, a bundled case and an obligatory set of gilded earbuds to ensure public humiliation. A price or release date wasn't immediately apparent, but please don't say you're willing to dig around to find out. Please?

[Via PMPToday]