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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.
Vertu Constellation packs gaudy brilliance, and we don't mean the AMOLED
Vertu's first foray into the heady modern world of touchscreen phones has arrived, and it still looks KIRF-ably premium. But what's surprising is that the Constellation's feature ensemble is actually half-decent -- at least relative to its predecessors. Wearing an exclusive 3.5-inch AMOLED screen coated entirely in sapphire crystal, the Constellation completes the look with a "ceramic pillow" (we'd call it an 'earpiece') and a black alligator skin back cover. Last seen skulking around Bluetooth product listings, it's now back in the public spotlight with a confirmed eight megapixel camera, flanked by a twin LED flash and HSPA+ connections. There's no word on what OS this starlet is working with, though it's likely to be Symbian -- appropriate for all those oil barons, F1 drivers and other anachronistic rich types who can (send staff to) pick up their new Vertu from stores now.
Luxury Vertu Constellation T smartphone now packs post-feudal technology
Rich people in poor countries have had to make some terrible sacrifices when choosing a gem-encrusted handset. They've generally shopped at Vertu, the Nokia-owned go-to company for such ostentatious purchases, but its range of models has lacked even the most basic smartphone functionality. Now though, a Vertu Constellation T has cropped up at the Bluetooth SIG with distinctly forward-looking specs: a 3.5-inch 640 x 360 AMOLED touchscreen, eight megapixel shooter with twin LED flash, 32GB of onboard storage and an HSPA+ modem. You'll find some low-res pics after the break, but we fear they might not look expensive enough -- bear in mind that Vertu devices fetch an average of $7,000, rising to $27,000 for the ultimate provocation of the masses.
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 15, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of August 15, 2011: Vodafone's very own budget-friendly Facebook Phone, the Vodafone 555, is now on sale. £62.50 is all it will take to get the non-touchscreen featurephone in your fingertips. [via SlashGear] A spec sheet and screenshots of the Sony Ericsson Nozumi leaked this week. The handset will likely feature a 1.4GHz single-core Qualcomm S2 CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, and 4.3-inch display with 1280 x 720 resolution. Interestingly enough, the phone is rumored to require a micro SIM, much like the iPhone 4. [via XperiaBlog] US Cellular launched two new Android devices for its prepaid lineup, the Samsung Gem and HTC Merge. The Gem offers a 3.2-inch WVGA display, 800MHz CPU, and Android 2.2 for $140, while the Merge is a global-capable QWERTY slider with a 3.8-inch display, Android 2.2, and more for $300. [via US Cellular] Immediately following Google's acquisition of Motorola, discussion centered around the possibility of the latter company becoming the preferred OEM for Android -- a privilege that would, in theory, include designing and producing the next Nexus. Andy Rubin, the head honcho for the open-source OS, put such rumors to bed by offering more insight on the approval process for upcoming Nexus phones, and insisted that HelloMoto will continue to be treated the same as every other OEM; it will have to bid for the job just like every other company does. [via AndroidCentral] The Huawei Blaze, a budget Android handset that runs on Gingerbread, may arrive in the UK as early as September. The Blaze would mark the first time we've seen the company offer a phone under its own branding in the UK. [via CNet] Shocked to hear the Kyocera Echo isn't selling as well as the company had hoped? Yeah, neither are we. Nonetheless, in the hopes of sparking sales, it's started offering twelve premium games for free to the first 10,000 downloads as part of its "summer of free apps" campaign. Good luck with that. [via Electronista] With all of the buzz rightfully centered around Nokia and its quest for Windows Phone dominance, how bright does Vertu's future look? If Eldar Murtazin is to believed, Espoo's luxury phone branch will also be on the receiving end of WP7 devices. The main difference with Vertu's version compared to the rest of Nokia's lineup? It'll most likely be covered with gold and diamonds. [via WMPowerUser] The Samsung Galaxy Q, another name for the Gravity Smart, is now available on Rogers. The device is geared toward the lower end, so it may not be the most lustworthy letter in the Samsung Galaxy alphabet. [via MobileSyrup]
Nokia pulls out of Japan: once more, with feeling
Okay, we've played this game before, but that was almost three years ago. This time, Nokia's really leaving Japan, and they're taking their fancy luxury phones with them. Actually, Nokia's high-end Vertu phones were all it had left in the land of the rising sun, and even those were only readily available in Tokyo's Shibuya and Ginza districts -- so out of Japan by the end of July? No problem. The phones may be gone by August, but the Finnish firm will retain offices in Tokyo through the end of the year to manage refunds, tidy up, and bid farewell to the robot loving maidens of Tokyo's commercial district.
Vertu Signature Precious is awash in sea of sapphire...and regret (video)
It may not feature GPS, an accelerometer, or even a camera, but if you've run out of disposable items to encrust with jewels, then Vertu's Precious -- the latest revision to its aging Signature lineup -- may be the mobile phone for you. While its basic array of quadband GSM, 2100 / 850 MHz 3G, Bluetooth and WiFi may seem a touch modest, varieties come slathered in platinum, three types of gold (yellow, white and red), leather, ceramic, and enough jewels to make Her Majesty blush. Its face, known as the "sea of sapphire," is mostly obscured (save for the OLED display), but you high rollers can take comfort knowing it spent more than two weeks in a 2000°C oven to appease your discerning taste. Also hidden are 4.75 carats of ruby bearings, which are said to give the keys a frictionless, satisfying click. The ring tones are exclusive compositions by Dario Marianelli and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra -- though we were bigger fans before they sold out. For a quick glimpse of how the Precious comes together gem by gem, just follow the break. There's no word on pricing or availability, but if you're considering putting up your first born as collateral, you might want to reconsider this cringe-worthy creation. [Thanks, Radi]
Vertu Ascent Ti Ferrari is a celebration of extreme self-indulgence
International jet-set elite, your new phone is here! That's right, Vertu and Ferrari have teamed up yet again to produce the phone that serves two important purposes: showing the world that you own a Ferrari, and showing the world that you don't need a phone that does much besides receiving calls from your accountant. Essentially the recently announced Ascent refresh, this bad boy features a 2-inch QVGA sapphire crystal display and quadband 3G. The case itself is constructed from forged titanium with a matte black PVD finish and the same hand stitched leather as the interior of the car it's inspired by. But you better be fast! Only 2,011 will be made. (Get it?) Hit the source link to order three or four for yourself. [Thanks, James]
How much will a gold Vertu Constellation Quest set you back? About $27K, turns out
Feeling that Constellation Quest, but think it'd look a little better in brilliant yellow? Break open that piggy bank. Oh, and while you're at it, break open several dozen more piggy banks... and maybe even a real bank or two. We're hearing that the world's Vertu boutiques will be selling a yellow gold version of the Symbian-powered work of art for a cool €19,500 including VAT, which works out to about $27,000. Sure, that can buy a car -- but you already own the fleet of Bentleys and Bugattis, so let's be honest, another car would seem a bit excessive. [Thanks, anonymous tipster]
Vertu Constellation Quest shows up at the FCC, running Symbian and looking pleasantly outrageous
Ah, Vertu, where would we be without you? Richer, to be sure, but so very bored. Vertu's QWERTY-packing Constellation Quest has just gotten the FCC's stamp of approval, and in addition to the typical beauty shots the FCC includes, there's also a detailed manual that shows the phone to be running some heavily skinned version of Symbian. The phone has HSDPA data and WiFi, and Vertu is even packing along a 32GB microSD card. There's still plenty we don't know about the phone, like when it will hit stores and how many arms and legs it will cost, but for now we're just happy to have "cray Uncle Vertu" around for the party. %Gallery-105397%
Vertu Constellation Quest 'coming soon,' finally puts QWERTY in your Hermès handbag
What's been missing from Vertu's lineup so far? Okay, yes, a touchscreen model -- touché -- but what we were really getting at was a version with a full QWERTY keyboard. The company has started sending out emails teasing a new Constellation Quest model, and while you can't make much either from the included picture or from the Flash-based teaser site you're directed to, it's pretty obvious there's QWERTY involved -- perfect for texting in your bids to Christie's, agreeing to a sale price for your summer home in the Hamptons over email, or letting Jeeves know to have the jet fueled and ready while you're still in the back of the Roller some 45 minutes away. Needless to say, we're confident it'll carry on the Vertu tradition of being overpriced and under-capable, but let's be honest: does a billionaire have the time to figure out how to use a smartphone anyhow? [Thanks, Mudilamus]
Cellphone inventor Marty Cooper says he knew everybody would have one someday
Marty Cooper may have kept a fairly low profile since inventing the cellphone in the early 1970s, but he has been out in the public eye a bit more recently, and has now given a fairly lengthy interview to CNN in which he ruminates on the invention that quite literally changed the world. Perhaps most notably is that he says he and his team at Motorola always "knew that someday everybody would have a cellphone," but that he found it "hard to imagine that that would happen in my lifetime." Of course, he was also once again asked about his current cellphone, and surprisingly revealed that he's actually been trying out a Vertu recently. Hey, you've earned it, Marty. [Thanks, Jeff]
Vertu Ascent 2010: same pretension, new specs
Vertu's not big on press releases, so you'll have to forgive us for missing this a few weeks back -- but it seems that Nokia's little outpost of opulent, over-the-top luxury has just released an updated version of its time-tested Ascent range. The so-called Ascent 2010 features a 5 megapixel camera (up from the Ascent Ti's 3), 8GB or 32GB of on-board storage depending on the version (up from 4GB), and quadband 3G. It also has AGPS with preloaded maps (Vertu's carefully avoiding the plebeian Ovi Maps branding here, but we'd imagine it's more or less the same thing), a 2-inch QVGA sapphire crystal display, and a sweet chronograph display (pictured) that undoubtedly makes the phone worth every one of the thousands of dollars you shell out for it. You can pick it up now in your choice of aluminum or titanium bodies with a variety of colored leather accents from luxury retailers around the globe -- and don't forget to pack your checkbook before you hop in the Roller and head down there, obviously.
Vertu Constellation Ayxta gets unboxed and admired
Overkill, thy name is Vertu. Nokia's luxury handset division has rarely gotten much love on these pages, but that's mostly to do with the excessive use of "high end" materials on its phones and zeroes in its prices. Both are present and accounted for here, with the stainless steel and leather-bound Constellation Ayxta starting at somewhere around $7,500. Still, we retain a curiosity to see such exclusive devices in the glaring lights of reality, and Gear Diary has treated us to just such a treat. The handset before you can crank out 6 hours of talk time over GSM or 300 hours of standby, navigate preloaded maps over GPS, or hook you up to an instant Concierge service if you don't feel like doing the work yourself. And why should you? Mosey on over to the source for the full unboxing gallery.
Vertu reminds us it's still alive with million-Yen phones, still tasteless as ever
What's a distinguished person of taste and refinement to do when smartphones nowadays are all so bulky and, well, ubiquitous? He or she should go take a look at Vertu's store, of course, which has today been populated for the first time with a new, even more exclusive Signature collection, composed of four models -- one for each season. There's a load of talk about delicate hand-crafting and latest technology with these, but the truth of the matter is that you'll be buying one solely for the purpose of puling it out of your carefully pressed, kerchiefed Armani suit in the hope of impressing any and all nearby members of the opposite sex. What this phone will then say, nay, scream, about you is that you have the money to buy things that are neither functional nor physically appealing -- the surest way to signal wealth and prestige. How much money? Try a million Yen for each handset, which roughly translates to $10,830. Update: Our sage readers have noted a failure in our machine-translated pricing. The handsets in fact cost 20 million Yen a piece, which equates to $216,600. So sorry to have misled you if you were heading off to the bank to get that 10 grand. %Gallery-89084%
Vertu Ascent X dazzles FCC with its expert craftsmanship, supple leather
We don't really know the fully story behind this new certification just yet, but it's not every day that Vertu -- Nokia's ultra-luxury brand -- passes a device through the FCC, so we figured we'd broadcast the exciting news anyhow. Other than a line art shot of the back and a few particularly sparse lab documents, your guess is as good as ours, but there's one bit in the RF test results that reads right out of a Tourneau brochure: "The Vertu Model: Ascent X, FCC ID: P7QRM-589V is a mobile phone in the Luxuary [sic] category. It is differentiated from standard models in terms of craftsmanship/materials and quality. The model is available in a number of cosmetic finishes, where substituted on a like for like basis, Metal for Metal, RF Neutral/leather and cover materials for the same in a variety of colors and finishes (Mat/polished/color etc)." Metal for metal indeed, Vertu. Interestingly, the phone appears to support quadband HSPA on the 800, 850, 1900, and 2100MHz frequencies -- not something you see every day -- and although we can't find any details on the phone, Vertu's official data configuration service lists an "Ascent X Design" model, so this might very well be it. Start raiding the trust fund, ladies and gentlemen.
Vertu Constellation Ayxta luxo-flip slums it at the FCC
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
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 Ayzta 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, 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 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]
Constellation F to be Vertu's first clamshell?
So far, Vertu's stuck to a tried-and-true candybar formula for hawking bejeweled, leather-bound handsets to the extraordinarily rich, but they may be shifting focus just a tad for their next release. mobil.cz seems to have scored a fuzzy little shot and a few specs of what's being billed as the "Constellation F" -- that's "F" as in "fold," which lines up with parent Nokia's off-kilter parlance -- with a 2.4-inch HVGA primary display, global GSM / EDGE and HSPA, 3 megapixel cam with dual LED flash, 8GB of storage, and in all likelihood, more ostrich skin finish options than any phone you've ever owned. The presence of HSPA 850 / 1900 combined with the clamshell form factor would seem to be a very material recognition on Vertu's part that it's selling a good percentage of its four- and five-figure handsets stateside -- flips are historically more popular there than in Europe -- and at $10,000 or more a pop, it shouldn't take too many to make the R&D expense worth their while.
Vertu Ascent Ti Neon screams 'I'm rich and I watch Saved By The Bell reruns'
Variants of existing Vertu models are a dime a dozen. Actually, come to think of it, they're the exact opposite of "a dime a dozen," but we digress -- the point is that we don't really get too worked up these days when Nokia's luxury brand decides to refinish one of its hilariously expensive models in another shade of ostrich hide. There are a few key differences with the new Ascent Ti Neon, though: one, they've actually reshaped it to better fit in a purse; two, they've changed out the leather bits for rubber; and three, it's neon, for goodness' sake. Despite the revised shape, the phone is exactly the same on the inside as any other Ascent Ti already on the market, which means euro 3G, a 3 megapixel cam, and 4GB of storage. It'll all go for the bargain basement price of £6,000 (about $9,900) when it hits in October.
Vertu proves carbon fiber doesn't have to be functional with latest Ascent Ti
Carbon fiber: a highly-engineered material prized the world over for its overwhelming strength without sacrificing weight, used in some of the world's most mission-critical machines. Vertu's Ascent Ti Carbon Fibre Edition, however, decidedly doesn't qualify as such a use -- but that's not stopping the luxury handset division of Nokia from touting the new model's been "repeatedly tested to ensure the optimum amount of fibres and resin and processed together to achieve a flawless uniform look on both the flat and curved parts." It's available next month with your choice of carbon, aluminum, or copper grips, but the term "available" might be a stretch for most of us considering that pricing is only being provided "upon request" -- and we all know what that means. [Warning: PDF link][Via Unwired View]
