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Vertu's Signature Touch puts the luxury back into specs
It's been a year and a half since luxury phone maker Vertu ditched Symbian in favor of Android, thus slowly catching up with the rest of the mobile market. Its first Android phone, the Ti, fell behind the curve with its dual-core processor, tiny battery and low screen resolution; then the more affordable Constellation arrived with a larger screen but also let down by a similar chip. Somewhere along the line, though, Vertu finally decided "enough is enough." The result is this good-looking Signature Touch which, for a change, packs pretty much everything you'd expect on a modern flagship smartphone: a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 chip, a 4.7-inch 1080p display, Cat 4 LTE radio (with bands covering many parts of the world), NFC plus Qi wireless charging.
Blingtron bugged, is far less blingy
The blank look and glazed smile are hiding his pain. Blingtron 4000 loves to give out gifts, loves it. It's his thing, handing out Fire Spirits and steamy romance novels. He used to hand out his gift packages to you once per day, but right now, since the advent of Patch 5.1, something's gone horribly wrong for Blingtron 4000. The little guy's bugged out, what people originally thought was a stealth change by Blizzard to make him usable only for one person on your account appears to be something far more serious, with forum posters asserting that Blingtron can only be used by one character on one account, ever. What's not clear at the time of writing is the extent of Blingtron's bug. Was it working as intended that he only hands out one gift per account per day? Or was that just the bug manifesting itself for the first time for players? Will he be back to his blingy ways in no time, or is he only ever going to have one gift for each account per day? Blizzard's Sapperwix had just this to say: Sapperwix We're aware of this issue and are actively working on a fix. Thanks for your reports! source We're all hoping Blingtron will be back to his old ways as soon as possible! Mists of Pandaria is here! The level cap has been raised to 90, many players have returned to Azeroth, and pet battles are taking the world by storm. Keep an eye out for all of the latest news, and check out our comprehensive guide to Mists of Pandaria for everything you'll ever need to know.
Mouth-based bling MP3 player puts your tunes on retainer
It's time to give your pockets a rest. Take a cue from Parsons student Aisen Chacin and stick your MP3 player where it belongs: in your mouth. The catchily-named Play-a-Grill combines bone-conducting music playback with a classic bit of bling-based technology. This "attempt to provide an unusual display and interface in comparison to typical audio/visual stimulation and digit based control panel" utilizes an iPod Shuffle knockoff, which sits in the roof of the wearer's mouth for some good, old fashioned tongue control over music playback. At the moment, the player looks to be more art project than consumer product (complete with a Nelly-quoting paper), but perhaps this is the iPod killer everyone's been searching for all along.
Samsung to sell limited edition, crystal-studded Series 9 laptops
Well, a very merry early Christmas to you too, Samsung. At the tail end of of the company's PC-focused press conference here at IFA -- an event primarily devoted to the Series 7 Chronos laptop and Windows 7 slate -- its executives announced a rather unforeseen update to the Series 9. No, we're not talking beefier SSDs or a skinnier silhouette. Get ready, friends, because this holiday season our favorite pinch-thin PC is getting decked out in crystals. Hand-applied crystals, guys. The company's going to sell a limited number of these things in "Moonlight Blue," a wintry navy, and "Luxury Rose Gold," a champagne color, with carefully sprinkled bling on the cover. That color extends across the chassis, onto the palm rest and between the keys but blessedly, the fairy dust doesn't make a cameo in the interior. No word on pricing, though we don't expect Paris Hilton Samsung's target customer will care. %Gallery-132308%
HTC Sensation 4G takes the Pimp My Phone approach to chrome swagger
Beast phones and bling don't typically go hand-in-hand -- that's what those high-end specs are for. But if you've found yourself grimacing at the lackluster paint job on your new HTC Sensation 4G, this step-by-step by Paul White at Whitesites Blog can take it from dull geek to balla chic in six hours flat. With some dedicated elbow grease, a smattering of sand paper and some metal polish cream you've definitely seen Mumsy wield pre-Thanksgiving dinner, you can bring a bit of burnished elegance to your Sense 3.0 device. The fairly simple, albeit grueling sanding process could benefit from a speed-boosting power tool, or two, but it's those rubberized, glued parts you'll have to pop out and back into the unibody frame that should cause the biggest headache. Interested in getting your hands worn down by this labor of mobile love? Then head to the source now for a buff take on T-Mobile's flagship.
MF Doom Sneaker Speakers are perfect for the supervillain rapper who has everything (video)
Back in March, Nash Money showed off a pair of Nike Air Force 1s that he had turned into desktop speakers -- pretty rad, but hardly flashy enough for a supervillain / rapper. The professional sneaker customizer has significantly stepped up his game after being commissioned by Sneaker Freaker Magazine, creating two pairs of speakers from some giant suede Pumas. Nash consulted MF Doom for the project, and the masked emcee offered up suggestions like "sci-fi and laser guns," "modern architecture and geometry," and "mad exclamation marks." The finished Sneaker Speaker Doomsday Edition (how timely is that?) Models have mic inputs and red, green, and blue lights with eight effects, like speed control and a dim function. They've got plenty of power and can only be fired up by someone with the key -- in this case Doom and the magazine, both of whom walked away with a pair. That is, as much as someone with high-end speaker components in their shoes can walk away with anything. Click the source link for more pics or check a "making of" video after the break.
Diamonds plus nano plus watch equals this $18k monstrosity
There is, it has to be admitted, a market for diamond-encrusted Apple products. Having the good taste to buy something magical and revolutionary doesn't necessarily mean you have good taste full stop. So, for those of you with more (way, way more) money than sense who live at the blingier end of the Apple marketplace, we present the ZShock Lunatik iPod nano watch case (the clue's in the name). Yes, for a mere US$18,000 and a three- to four-week wait, ZShock will "hand-set the diamonds into pave settings on the white gold watch case" of your iPod nano watch, Boy Genius (who seems to quite like this, strangely) tells us. Is it just me or does the nano in this picture look sort of embarrassed?
Got $8 million? Buy an iPad 2 inlaid with gold, diamonds and a dinosaur bone
The iPad is no stranger to the bling culture. But in case you have a few extra million tucked beneath the mattress, Stewart Hughes is offering an iPad 2 that is encased in solid gold, diamonds, some of the oldest rock found in the world and a dinosaur bone. The back is covered with 24-carat gold, with an Apple logo fashioned out of 53 diamonds. The front frame is made of 75 million-year-old Ammolite rock with shavings from a Tyrannosaurus rex. The home button is made of a single-cut flawless diamond with 12 smaller diamonds surrounding it. You can get all of this for the low, low price of £5 million, which these days comes up to a little under $8.17 million USD sans matching Smart Cover -- that you'll have to get from Apple on your own. [via MacStories]
Blingiest bling booths make your Apple gear gaudy to the max
The companies making these rhinestone or Swarovski-encrusted iPad and iPhone cases are numerous. But if you're in the mood to wrap your Apple gear in shiny, sharp little crystals or plastic "gems" then there is no shortage of gaudy garbage vendors at CES -- or on the internet. Here's a little gallery of just a couple of outfits we spotted while walking around. Am I crazy for thinking this stuff is suitable for Snooki and her fans only? I mean, one of the packages states "Bling My Thing." You have to be kidding. %Gallery-113387%
Kinect meets Swarovski crystals, gaudiness ensues (video)
Hey, you know that Kinect thing that Microsoft recently launched and hasn't been heard of since? Well, it's such a boring and useless creation that somebody had to try and spruce it up. Enter DS Styles, with a bag of 5,000 Swarovski crystals and the courage to use them. The result of that coupling has been the (quite literally) unmissable concoction you see above -- a Kinect that will blind you first, then record your clumsy reaction for posterity second. And it only costs $632, what a steal!
Scientists put color on your bling with micro carvings, gangsters pacified
Remember that time when you sipped some herbal tea and thought, "I really want a pink gold ring?" Yeah, that was some good tea alright, but the brainiacs at the University of Southampton have actually found a way to achieve this potential fashion trendsetter. The idea is simple: rather than coating metals -- especially naturally colored ones like gold and copper -- with paint, these folks alter their color by using an ion beam to carve fine patterns that are smaller than visible light's wavelength. The resultant metamaterial dramatically boosts the metals' light absorption efficiency, thus reflecting a different color depending on the pattern's radius and etch depth. So for instance, gold can reflect colors ranging from orange to red to green to brown with its ring pattern etch depth ranging from 85nm to 205nm, respectively. See? We told you it's simple, but there's also some visual aid after the break to wrap up this science lesson.
Pioneer blings out HDJ-1000 headphones, turns them into a $209 Limited Edition
The thing with headphones, and sound equipment in general, is that if you get the design right the first time, you don't leave yourself much room for significant upgrades down the line. Pioneer seems to have fallen into that trap with its HDJ-1000 set of cans, which are today getting rehashed in a pair of new shades: the extrovert gold number above and an understated all-black look. Pioneer hasn't left the innards completely unretouched, however, as it has nipped and tucked a few bits to allow better low-range reproduction and a more comfortable fit overall. Neither sounds likely to justify the price bump to $209, but those golden highlights sure look appealing from where we're sitting.
Queen dons Swarovski-encrusted 3D glasses, shows us how bling is done
It's a tough life being a monarch nowadays. The halcyon times of extravagant debauchery and debauched extravagance are all but over, having been replaced by expectations of stoicism and perfectly measured hand waving. Trying to subvert this trend of royals boring us to tears, Britain's Queen has come out with a pair of Q-emblazoned 3D glasses that frankly redefine the way we look upon bling. Articulated with some good old Swarovski crystals, the spectacular spectacles were thought up by her majesty's dresser, Angela Kelly, and were brought out during a state visit to Toronto's Pinewood Studios. Now the only question left is which gangster rapper will try to outdo Queenie from the block?
Found Footage: Swarovski crystal Apple rainbow logo iPhone case
Going down the Apple history path for the second time today, we thought those of you who might have a soft spot in your heart for the old "rainbow" Apple logo would love this piece of bling. It's an iPhone case (works with 3G / 3GS) that is covered with more than 1,000 Swarovski crystal bits for that extra sparkly look. For only US$184, you can be one of only 100 people on the entire planet Earth to own one of these ostentatious blingy things. It's sparkly! Did I mention that it's sparkly? If this got your attention and you must have one, head on over to Distinctive Style to nab one of these limited edition glittery rainbows for your very own. You know you want one. After all, it is "perfect for parties and balls," and you'll be able to "represent yourself with luxury & confidence." [via iPhone Savior]
Wait. How much did you pay for your iPad?
Economic hardship? What's that? If the recession affected you as much as it did that rock on your villa grounds, have I got an iPad for you. For a mere US$20,000 you can order the Diamond iPad. The 64GB 3G iPad is modded by Mervis Diamond Importers and features 11.43 carats of diamonds set in a micro-pave styling. If you're the kind of guy that wants to one-up the friend who's always bragging about the latest tech he got on launch day, this is how you do it. Besides, is $20,000 that much? Not when you compare it to the $3.2 million dollar gold iPhone. And the Diamond iPad's screen is so much larger... Still not enough for you? Check out the gold-plated MacBook Air (a mere $5,000) and MacBook Pro ($1,200). [via SiliconAlleyInsider]
Nintendo Wii Supreme is topped with a layer of gold, sprinkled with diamonds, and priced at £300,000
Inventing a new echelon in Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide, Stuart Hughes has managed to Supreme-ize a Nintendo Wii, covering it in over 2,500 grams of solid 22 carat gold and an aggregate total 19.5 carats of flawless diamonds for the three front buttons. Three have been made and were done so reportedly over the span of six months. Asking price is £299,995, or about $484,818 in US dollars, which if you go by Kotaku's admittedly untrained estimations is about $200,000 in raw materials and the rest in labor / profit. The only to make this sound reasonable is if we compared it alongside a $3.2 million iPhone 3GS, and what do ya know, that was also a Stuart Hughes creation. We're gonna take a stab in the dark and say that Wii Sports is not included.
Gold, diamond-studded Wii going for almost $500k
Consumer electronics bling-modder Stuart Hughes has transformed the $200 Wii into a £299,995 ($491,000) console. The device took six months to convert, and features 2,500 grams of 22 carat gold and 19.5 carats of diamonds on the buttons. Only three units were made. Some of you out there may be asking: "Well, what do I do if the Wii breaks? Who handles the warranty?" If you're asking that question ... well, frankly, you can't afford this luxury in the first place. [Thanks, deepa; via LuxuryLaunches]
Artcoustic vomits bling allover its Crystal line of wall-mounted speakers
It's a bit hard to tell if Artcoustic's latest wall-mounted, ultrathin loudspeakers, the Crystal line, are incredibly horrid or insanely awesome. There's no denying that high-end loving audiophiles are enticed by the brand -- but the Crystal line? Well, let's just say that adding a bunch of Swarovskis to any product won't necessarily make it better. Regardless, these bad boys are customizable and if you're into ostentation, they probably belong in your apartment. There's also a matching iPod dock available, and it'll run you about $3700 to get one, speaker included.
Wii Warm Up: To Bedazzle or not to Bedazzle
Yesterday we showed you the major award given to a Smash Bros. tournament winner: a Wii covered in Swarovski crystals, which formed the images of Mario and Bowser. It was obviously worth a pile of money, and has value as a collectors' item on top of the value of all the crystals and the work put into it. But did it look good?The comments on that post mostly tended toward calling it tacky, but we thought it would be worth blinging bringing it up in our daily discussion thread and officially soliciting your opinions. Can adding sparkly stuff to your console be an improvement? Is a crystal-covered system a conversation piece, or a ... behind-the-back conversation piece?
Crapgadget CES edition, round 4: Fugliest display evar
Should have... sent... a poet.
