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Rolls-Royce's new Wraith can silence the jeers of the poor
Music is about youth, vibrancy and rebellion, something that seems at odds with Rolls-Royce, cars that are normally the province of stuffed shirts the world over. Despite this, the company feels that it needs to reach out to music-loving billionaires, which is why it's launching the Rolls-Royce Wraith Inspired By Music edition. Effectively, the existing Wraith has been kitted out with a custom stereo that, it's claimed, will turn your car into "the most exclusive music venue" on the highway. Considering that a base model Wraith can cost in excess of $360,000, we'd say that's a fair claim to make.
EVE Evolved: Get ready for Odyssey
With just two days to go until EVE Online's exploration-focused Odyssey expansion goes live, players have been scouring the test server for information that can give them an edge. Some have been practicing moon surveying techniques for the upcoming redistribution of tech 2 minerals, and others are hoping to get rich quick by speculating on battleship price changes. Explorers are kitting out new exploration ships, theorycrafters are working on new setups for rebalanced ships, and pirates are setting up base in lowsec areas that are about to become fertile hunting grounds. Odyssey isn't quite the Apocrypha-level expansion I've been hoping for, but it certainly seems set to shake things up. Changes to moon minerals will throw nullsec into chaos and hopefully ignite some big territorial wars, and battleship buffs may change EVE's popular fleet compositions. The Discovery Scanner Overlay will make exploration much easier for new players to get into, but will also give pirates another tool with which to hunt down explorers. A new co-operative hacking minigame will also make exploration more of a team sport. But how can you make the most of the expansion from day one, and what can you do today to prepare for it? In this week's EVE Evolved, I look at the new exploration system and other changes you can expect when you log in on Tuesday, and what you can do now to make the most of them.
Brookstone's WiFi cufflinks let you discreetly share data, internet connections
If you somehow aren't satisfied with your growing collection of Nintendo, PlayStation, Game Boy Color and steampunk styled cufflinks, Brookstone just might be the Q to your Bond. In addition to rocking the USB-storage trick we've seen in other technological shirt links, this sleeve fastener also promises to act as a WiFi hotspot when paired with a hard-wired PC. Rounding out your technologically augmented wedding attire with these 'cuffs will set you back $250 -- unless you're working with Her Majesty's Secret Service, of course, then they're probably just standard issue.
Vertu rings in the Year of the Dragon by welcoming a trio of Signature luxury phones
The Year of the Dragon is quickly approaching, and Vertu is in a celebrating mood. So much so, in fact, that it's added three new luxury Dragon handsets to its Signature collection. You can choose between stainless steel with emeralds, yellow gold with diamonds or ruby with black stainless steel. Each is, appropriately, adorned with a four-claw dragon on the battery cover, and the engraving process is rather lengthy: it involves 20 stages and takes four highly-skilled master craftsmen 36 hours, eight of which are dedicated just to the dragon's scales. But that's not all, folks -- each one gets shipped to Switzerland, where it's given the official stamp of authenticity, and returned to the workshop where precious stones are added for the final touch. That may sound like a steal at a mere $20,800, but Vertu even adds a charging cradle, a leather case and one year of free concierge service to the package. Tech specs? We haven't heard much about them, but they're rumored to run Symbian OS. We're sure you're now looking down at your new Samsung Galaxy Nexus with disdain, but we bet you could hire a few master craftsmen to make your own hand-engraved dragon for around the same price to help alleviate the regret.
Gresso's Grand Premiere: an Avantgarde phone with a behind-the-times OS and a $50,000 price tag
Whenever Gresso's not crafting expensive new threads for iDevices, the company makes its own featurephones from the finest materials mother nature has to offer. The new Grand Premiere is the latest from the company's Avantgarde collection and carries on this incongruous tradition. Its frame and keys are made from more than five ounces of 18-carat gold, with numbers and letters laser-etched on its sapphire crystal skin. We don't know the internals of the 12mm-thin candybar, but we do know it's running Symbian S40 and is probably packing anemic hardware like other Gressos we've seen -- you're paying for exclusivity and the shiny stuff, not benchmarking abilities, after all. Only 30 Grand Premiere's will be made at $50,000 pop, so all you conspicuous consumers with money to burn better move fast. Wouldn't want to be the only luddite at the yacht club without luxury handset, would you?
Nokia reportedly looking to sell Vertu, Russian oligarchs reportedly upset
It looks like Nokia has finally grown weary of the one percent. According to a report from the Financial Times, the Finnish manufacturer is looking to sell off its Vertu line of luxury handsets, as part of the firm's ongoing restructuring process. Citing a source "familiar with the process," the FT went on to explain that Goldman Sachs is overseeing the sale, though it's still in a nascent stage of development. The brand has reportedly attracted the interest of unnamed private equity firms, though the same insider claims that luxury goods vendors may toss their hats in the ring, as well. Neither Nokia nor Goldman have commented on the report, but we'll be sure to let you know when they do.
iPad 2 gets an $8 million Cretaceous makeover with dino bones, diamonds and gold
In case you weren't aware, Apple's sold a whole lot of iPad 2s, so aside from the couple of bezel color choices or adding a Smart Cover, there's not much you can do to make your tablet stand out from the crowd. Well, now there's another option for the well-heeled gadget lover. Stuart Hughes is back with another custom gadget for the economic elites called the iPad 2 Gold History Edition. It's got a solid gold backside, an Apple logo and home button crafted from a total of 65 flawless diamonds, plus a bezel crafted from Ammolite rock and slivers of thigh bone from a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Between all that ice and prehistoric bling, there won't be a problem picking this iPad out of a lineup. What is a problem (for most of us, anyway) is the price: eight million dollars. We dig the dino look and all, but that's an awfully hefty entrance fee -- we'd rather buy a stock slate and take a few dozen trips to the final frontier instead.
The most expensive iPad apps
Are you rich? Or just can't control your spending habits? If you answered "yes" to either of those questions and own an iPad, I've got some apps to show you. Most-expensive.net has compiled a list of the ten most expensive iPad apps. The apps range in price from US$299.99 all the way up to $999.99. The top three most expensive apps all cost $999.99. The Alchemist SMS helps the steelmaking and scrap metal recycling industry reduce raw material costs. Intuition Control Solo WolfVision lets you control WolfVision visualizers. BarMax CA provides a bar exam prep course. The thing about these $1000 apps is they actually do perform very useful functions for a limited audience, unlike other apps that cost a grand. [via Business Insider]
Sigma SD1 starts shipping in June for $9,700, has its sights set on medium format lovers
Sigma knows that $9,700 is a lot of money to pay for, well, anything, so it's couching the hefty price tag on its new flagship DSLR, the SD1, in the context of it competing against medium format digital cameras -- whose prices don't generally fall below five figures. Trouble is, as professionally inclined, well designed, and durably built as the SD1 may be, it still only packs a 15.3 megapixel CMOS sensor that spans 24mm x 16mm (or APS-C size). That means it'll have to earn its stripes on the battlefield of image quality, which it'll be ready to march onto in less than a month's time. Sigma promises to start shipping units in early June, so if you have the cash to spare (plus a little extra to fund a suitably awesome lens), you can start building up your anticipation today. Full PR and camera specs can be found after the break.
Steampunk USB cufflinks are as awesome as they are pricey
You wouldn't think something classifiable as "wearable storage" would look so darn dapper, but here we are, staring at just about the finest cufflinks we ever did see. Not only are these handmade shirt cuffs beautiful in the most steampunk of ways, they're also pretty useful as each features an 8GB flash storage chip with the utterly ubiquitous USB connector attached. Basically, they're what James Bond would wear if James Bond wore really awesome cufflinks. The general idea behind them might not exactly be original anymore, but we can't really fault the execution here. What we could probably find fault with is our lack of $225 of disposable coin, the price one will have to pay to sport this unique pair of hand-carved, walnut-enclosed memory sticks. [Thanks, Amelia]
11 The Beautiful Game is to foosball tables as Vertu is to basic Nokias (video)
Foosball, it's the game of champions too afraid to step outside and get their boots muddy. If that's a sentiment you can relate to, you'll have no trouble understanding why a team of Dutch designers has put together this here foosball table deluxe, which they've called 11 The Beautiful Game. In development since way back in 2008, the 11 has just made its way into limited production with a pre-order available via GRO Design's website. We had a little looksie inside the company's portfolio of past works and, as it turns out, it's already responsible for designing the Nokia 6500 and 6500 Slide, meaning it should be well versed in the art of massaging metal into beauty. Each unit ordered takes 12 weeks of meticulous handcrafting to build, but if you haven't got that long to wait, the video's just after the break right now. [Thanks, Martin]
Leica M9 Titanium unboxed, handled with all the care a $32,000 camera deserves (video)
Even in its "standard" magnesium alloy body, the Leica M9 is an exclusive piece of kit that prices out all but the most fervent and deep-pocketed rangefinder lovers. Nonetheless, Leica has a habit of putting together even more limited editions of its shooters, one of which has recently been subjected to a thorough unboxing and video overview. Only 500 special edition Titanium M9s cameras have been produced, each one individually numbered and costing nearly £20,000 (or about $32,000) in a set with a Summilux-M 35mm F1.4 lens, also made from titanium. With a full frame 18 megapixel CCD sensor and dual image processors inside, it's a fully fleshed-out beast of a portable shooter, but you'd probably expect nothing less given the fact it costs more than most cars. Go past the break to ogle this special M9. [Thanks, Aaron] Update: Leica reached out to clarify that the M9 Titanium costs $26,500 in the US.
Ocean Empire LSV is the self-sufficient superyacht for the super-rich
It looks like your luxury extra-national seafaring utopia just got one step closer to reality. The Ocean Empire Life Support Vessel is a 144-foot Catamaran Superyacht manufactured by Sauter Carbon Offset Design, and it features not only "all of the hotel amenities of a luxury global voyager" but two hydroponic farms and fishing facilities and three sustainable power sources: a 400 square meter 70kw solar array, an auxiliary 80 square meter (200kw) automated SkySail that drives the ship to 18+ knots and charges her battery systems, and a Motion Damping Regeneration (MDR) system developed with Maurer Sohnes Gmbh that can produce up to 50kw of electricity as it steadies the ship on rolling seas. How much will it cost you to take yourself, nine of your closest friends, and a crew of eight to the sea -- and remain there indefinitely? About $17 million. Hit the source link to order a couple for yourself. The vessel is built to order and you can have it ready to go in about eighteen months. At least it's cheaper than Saddam's yacht!
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.
$600k a week iPad-controlled charter yacht
First land, then air, and now sea. This $600,000 per week charter superyacht, called "Solemates," is also controlled by Apple's iPad device. When you rent the boat and step onboard, the captain hands you an iPad with a custom-made app that allows you to control the lights and climate systems on the boat, control entertainment systems, and even summon crew members while onboard. Pretty snazzy, though of course it's far from cheap -- anyone with enough money to spare to rent this boat probably doesn't have any issue picking up an iPad anyway. Of course the iPad isn't the only amenity on the craft -- a wood interior fills up with natural light and has spaces for dining and partying, and there's a sun deck on top with a jacuzzi for relaxing in when you're not staying in one of the cabin spaces for 12 guests. Quite a boat to be on, indeed. [via 9to5Mac]
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!
Microsoft to spend one billion dollars advertising Kinect and Windows Phone 7
Microsoft's serious about making Kinect a success. A $500 million kind of serious. That's the latest report, courtesy of the New York Post, on the change Steve Ballmer and company intend to drop to make sure that every living and breathing creature in the US knows about the controller-free controller this holiday season. That mirrors earlier analyst estimates placing the Windows Phone 7 marketing budget at a similar figure, which in total would amount to a cool billion dollars in advertising expenditure. We already know Microsoft's scooped the Old Spice Guy for WP7, but Kinect is getting the extra special carpet bombing treatment with Burger King, Pepsi, YouTube, Nickelodeon, Disney, Glee, Dancing with the Stars, People and InStyle magazines, and even Times Square all having a role to play in spreading the word. Yup, it's gonna be pretty hard to miss it.
Stuart Hughes strikes again with world's most expensive, diamond covered iPhone 4
We've already established that if you're filthy rich, you probably don't want the same cell phone as common folk. No, if you're looking for something higher end, you'll probably end up talking to Stuart Hughes, who customizes electronics by plating them in gold and diamonds. We've already seen his work on a $20,000 iPhone 4, but his latest achievement is downright ridiculous. Called the "world's most expensive phone" (we'll see how long that lasts), Hughes made two identical models for an Australian client. Each handset includes over 500 diamonds and totals over 100 karats, and comes in its own special granite box. Its total cost is £5 million -- nearly 8 million dollars. Just don't bother crying when you leave it on the seat of a cab.
Ultrasone Edition 10 headphones sound and are expensive: $2,749 for one of only 2,010 made
Hands up if you actually know what ruthenium is. Don't worry if you don't, it's just used as an external plating on these extremely luxurious open-back cans. More familiar expensive materials can be found within, with titanium-plated 40mm drivers, silver-plated copper wires with 99.99 percent purity and kevlar-coated cables, and of course, for that extra special touch, Ethiopian sheepskin earcup pads. That's skin, not wool, so bear it in mind if you care for the welfare of little fluffy ones. Either way, the Ultrasone Edition 10s do seem like they've packed just enough luxury and exclusivity to justify their $2,745 price -- only thing we need now is a matching mahogany furniture set, preferably with some endangered species' heads adorning our walls.
Biometric wallets keep strange hands off your cash, flummox airport security
When we recently heard that purveyor of luxury men's goods Alfred Dunhill was selling a secure biometric wallet, we were intrigued: who wouldn't want a carbon fiber billfold that only opened with your fingerprint, and alerted you when it lost Bluetooth contact with your cellphone? Cost to the consumer: $700. Sounded like a pretty good deal, at least until we were hepped to a little something called the iWallet. Apparently the same thing (sans the snooty English rebadge), this bad boy is available in a variety of colors, including a fiber glass ($400) or lightweight carbon fiber ($600) case -- and it's made in the good ol' US of A. That said, whichever wallet you do pick will never be as cool as one made from an SNES cartridge.
