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Gresso's Azimuth is the dual-SIM phone the rich have been waiting for
The 1 percent have long had smartphones from Porsche and Vertu to quench their high-end thirst, but when it comes to dual-SIM handsets, the elite have had to settle for something a little more ordinary. For those in need, Gresso created Azimuth, the first dual-SIM luxury handset. Starting at $2,000, the phone is made of titanium, with both the keys and logo crafted out of 18K or white gold. Since appearances are all that matter, you're getting some pretty low-end specs under the hood, including 2GB of "internal memory," a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0 and a tiny 1,100mAh battery. To put things in perspective, Samsung's Galaxy S5 starts with 16GB of built-in storage, a 16-megapixel camera and a 2,800mAh battery. The difference being, anyone can buy an S5. Only 999 Azimuth's will be made, because no one who's anyone wants a phone 1,000 people can own.
Android smartphone made of solid titanium now available for $1,800
In the past, luxury handset manufacturer Gresso has been known for dressing up iPhones with diamonds (and charging $30,000 for the deed) and producing featurephones, but now it's getting into the Android business with its limited edition Radical smartphone series. The bottom-line model, the Radical R1, goes for $1,800 and is made of grade 5 solid titanium, while you can also grab a $2,300 version, which features a logo plate adorned with your choice of white or yellow 18K gold (everything else is exactly the same, however). Not too shabby, but the downside is that they don't necessarily come with the flagship specs you might come to expect from phones that cost a third of the price: The 219g (7.73-ounce) Radicals come with Android 4.1.2, a 4.5-inch qHD screen, dual SIM support, an 8MP rear camera, 36GB internal storage and a quad-core 1.2GHz processor. Don't wait long to decide, however -- only 999 units are available. Update: we originally reported the R1's price at $1,500, where in fact it is actually $1,800.
Gresso flaunts $30,000 white iPhone 4, holds more ice than a skating rink
Sure, you probably waited longer than you should have to get the elusive white iPhone 4. But, you know what's better than a boring regular model? One with diamonds, crystals and pearls... of course! Known for its ridiculous custom mobile devices, Gresso may force you to refinance your house and hock a kidney to afford its latest creation, the Lady Blanche. A solid diamond-coated mineral glass backing, three independent Swiss clocks and pearl dials replace the usual body on this iced-out iPhone. If the $30k diamond model is a bit out of your price range, the much more affordable Swarovski crystal version will only set you back 7,000 bones. Release details are unclear at this point, but when they drop you better act fast -- only 150 of these gems will be available. Heck, if you have that kind of cash lying around, just get the salesman to throw in one of these for your iPad, too.
Gresso classies up the iPad with 18k gold logo and ancient wood case
We'll openly admit we never knew what African Blackwood was until Gresso started applying the stuff to its line of extremely luxurious cellphone mods, but now we can't imagine a new product from the Russian company without the 200-year old timber making an appearance. And sure enough, the Gresso iPad's rear is composed almost entirely of Dalbergia melanoxylon, broken up only by the insertion of an 18-karat gold Apple logo. Strangely, in spite of its extravagant constituent materials, this design is a very restrained, dare we say, classy, affair. It goes on sale on New Year's Eve at an unannounced price, but you know what they say: if you have to ask or you have to work for a living, you probably can't afford it.
Gresso's Las Vegas Jackpot phone costs a million dollars, seriously
When you make it your business to deliver outlandish new looks for mobile telephony, it can sometimes be a challenge to just outdo your last effort. So Gresso's decided the only way forward is to collect all the fine materials it had lying around -- black diamonds, pure gold, diamond-cut sapphire crystals, and 200-year old African Blackwood -- sprinkle them atop an otherwise nondescript featurephone, and slap on the spectacular price tag of $1,000,000. Only three Jackpots are being made, while there'll be a Las Vegas handset without the black diamonds and sapphires for the more mundanely rich among us, priced at $20,000. Oh Gresso, just one tip: next time, try to align your earpiece to your fancy designs, we hear wealthy folks appreciate some attention to detail.
Gresso gussies up iPhone 4 with rare wooden veneer
From the front it looks like any other iPhone 4, but flip it around and a glint might catch your eye -- that's the doing of Russian technology tailor Gresso, who's embedded Swarovski crystals and an 18-karat golden Apple logo in a sheet of African Blackwood attached to the device. As usual, one wonders why anyone would bother, but honestly we can't complain -- the design is worlds more tasteful than the solid gold and diamond-encrusted contraptions we're used to seeing. Expect the dainty dillantante to arrive in December at a surprisingly reasonable $3,500, or $3,000 for the male-targeted version at right. Of course, if you've got that kind of money to spend, you want one now, right? Good news: the iPhone 3GS gets the same luxurious treatment -- and price -- in July. [Thanks, Bob]
Gresso's Grand Monaco gets wrapped in leather, credit card debt
Here's the problem with carbon fiber phones: they're not for everyone, especially those who aren't interesting in dropping over two grand on a midrange candybar. Don't sweat it, though, because Gresso's back at it again with a leather-clad version of its Grand Monaco called the Grand Monaco LE -- "LE" apparently stands for "Limited Edition," if the badging on the back of the phone is any indication -- available in your choice of red and black. Otherwise, you've got the same pricey materials found on the basic Grand Monaco like machined titanium and sapphire (plus a few not-so-pricey materials like a 2 megapixel camera) which somehow ultimately collaborate to produce an $1,800 price tag.
Gresso Grand Monaco USB is the closest you'll get to a supercar 'drive'
Le's face the cold hard facts: with only a single-digit percentage of the global population able to afford a Ferrari, most of us are just gonna have to make do with an Atom-based replica instead. Spending inadvisable amounts on USB drives, on the other hand, that's something we can all do. Say hello to the $200 Grand Monaco Classic, a 32GB memory stick that continues Gresso's tradition of wasting expensive materials -- titanium, ceramic and carbon, in this case -- on otherwise fungible goods. Not outlandish enough for ya? Click past the break for the 64GB Double Security version, which costs $500. Disregard for basic economics comes as standard on both models. [Via Luxury Launches]
Gresso's Grand Monaco, for if you're too poor for Vertu and too rich for common sense
It doesn't take but a few dollars (or euros, rubles, reais, yuan, you name it) to pick up a fully-unlocked 2G candybar these days. At least it usually doesn't -- unless you happen to source it from Russia's Gresso, in which case it's going to run you about $2,100. For that sum you'll have your choice of the company's new Grand Monaco model in black or metallic ceramic, featuring a 2 megapixel camera, triband (yes, triband) EDGE data, Bluetooth, FM radio, and microSD expansion up to an anemic 2GB. In other words, you're paying purely for the materials and the assembly, because the specs are south of suck and Gresso's got about as much name recognition as ZTE in most parts of the world. When's the last time you paid over a grand per megapixel, anyway? [Via Unwired View]
Gresso's Lady Diamond is expensive, burns red with the fires of hell
Talk about limited run, the Gresso Lady diamond which is priced at $5500 -- and out of most people's range -- will only see 8 models made. The Lady Diamond is the twin to the Skeleton Gold Phone made by Gresso, but dressed in red, and bejeweled with 4 diamonds on the nav keys -- total rock weight, for those that care, is 0.44K. Also duplicated is the 42K sapphire crystal display and see-though back, tri-band GSM, and Windows Mobile 6. The Lady Diamond is already shipping, so if you wanted to pick up one of the eight sets, you'd better hustle. Follow on for a wee gallery of this pleasant but disturbingly pricey phone.
Gresso Skeleton Gold Phone is oddly beautiful, very transparent
OK, OK, perhaps beautiful is stretching it a tad, but Gresso's Skeleton Gold Phone is definitely interesting, most notably the "polished 42k sapphire glass" see-thru back. While, essentially a twin to the Gresso Sol, it eschews wood for titanium, ceramic, 18K Gold, steel, leather, and baby seal eyelash shavings. Under the hood it 's a fairly vanilla tri-band GSM / GPRS (really, only GPRS) Windows Mobile 6 handset with 64MB of memory, 2GB of external storage, and Bluetooth. If you're in the mood to cha-ching your way into Gresso's world, you'd better act fast as this limited run only reaches 50 devices at a price of about $4400 each. A few more pics can be found right after the break.
Gresso's Avantgarde Skeleton is both a limited edition and of limited interest
Gresso, the Russian company known for its luxury electronics, is back with the scarily named (and strangely apt) Avantgarde Skeleton Collection. Another benchmark in conspicuous consumption, this Windows Mobile 6.0-sporting, Bluetooth 1.2-supporting brickphone is housed in a titanium alloy case "with high-tech ceramic coverage." But no, the luxuriosity doesn't stop there -- both the 240 x 320 display and the transparent back panel are made of crystal sapphire glass. The battery case is made of stainless steel, with a leather cover and magnet release, and the back of the handset features the Gresso logo covered with 10 micron gold. Sure "elegance" is timeless, but it ain't cheap: only fifteen of these guys will be made, and they'll be available for five grand. Tough choice between this and five Kodak OLED frames, we know -- life is so hard sometimes.
J. Lo brings latest album to Gresso flash drive
Nah, J. Lo won't go down as the first artist to sell an album via flash drive, but she's certainly raising the bar concerning price. Apparently, Gresso has landed an agreement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment that allows it to distribute Lopez's "Brave" album on the Adam&Eve flash drive, which features 1GB of storage and is crafted from African Mahogany or African Blackwood. Word on the street has this one landing later this month for around $70, and while it's only a supposition, we could definitely see this thing selling better without the musical connection. [Warning: PDF read link][Via Luxist]
Gresso unveils Avantgarde collection, pricing
Gresso's Avantgarde collection finally sees a release date, pricing, and some sketchy product info. Starting at only €5, 000 for the Luna (roughly $6, 900 dollars) or €7, 000 for the Sol (about $9, 700) your money'll get you a pretty slick looking handset crafted from African Blackwood, steel, and lots of gold. Both handsets run Windows Mobile ( the site is decidedly thin on specs) pack a 2 megapixel camera, and a 320 x 240 screen. Pretty simple stuff considering the money you have to fork out to pick one up and sadly without some diamond encrustation going on, we'll have to pass. Look for these to land in the 4th quarter this year.[Via SlashPhone]
Gresso's Symphonia MP3 players for the nouveau riche
How do you make a splash in the already saturated MP3 player market? Well, there's always limited-edition pink, or how 'bout a $4,000+ luxury player which touts "craftsmanship" (not sound quality or user experience) as its primary forte? Naturally, we're talking about Gresso, the Russian outfit already infamous for their luxury cellphones. Their new Symphonia audio players all measure in at 39 x 39 x 10.5-mm making them just a touch bigger than the iRiver S7 and iPod shuffle. Each features a RAZR-esque laser-etched keypad, built-in FM tuner, and 1GB of flash memory for your MP3, WMA, ASF and OGG files. In fact, the four models only differ in materials which range from ancient hardwoods to 18 carat gold. Expected in Q2 with too-beaucoup pricing in the area of $4,000 to $6,000.
New Gresso has more gold, less wood
We've yet to see a Gresso in the wild, but hot on the heels of its African Blackwood candybar, the upstart luxury phone manufacturer out of Russia is looking to make another splash with its 18 karat pink gold (and rather uncreatively-named, if we do say so ourselves) Gresso Gold. Like the Blackwood, the Gold is a member of Gresso's "Black Aura" series, suggesting that the guts are identical with a tri-band GSM radio (no 850) and sapphire crystal display -- though we suspect the Gold is decidedly less flammable. If everything goes according to the company's plans, look for both models to hit the streets next year. Look out, Vertu.[Thanks, James]
Gresso hopes to claim piece of luxury phone market
It seems like companies are jumping into the luxury market following the high profile of Vertu and Mobiado, and who can really blame them? These businesses have esteemed clientele, rare, sought after products, and the kind of prestige only an insane product margin can afford. Thus, welcome what purports to be the latest to the game: the Gresso luxury phone. Their first model, whose official name is a secret for all but those to lay over the requisite (but also unknowable) cash, is made from African Blackwood and Gold, with a Sapphire crystal display. Of course, the utter lack of tech and product specs is a little unnerving, but the fact that the only way to contact Gresso is via their Hotmail address is downright sketchwardo. Did we mention it's Russian only? So you be the judge, eh?
