Swarovski
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CrystalRoc Galaxy Tab: 5,700 Swarovski crystals, zero shame
We can only assume that Stuart Hughes will eventually one-up it with a gold-plated, diamond-encrusted model of its own but, for the time being, it looks like this new CrystalRoc Galaxy Tab is the most "exclusive" Android tablet around. While there's no word on a price (we assume it's on a need to know basis), CrystalRoc does proudly boast that the tablet packs 5,700 Swarosvski bright crystals, not to mention a custom logo to match. Head on past the break for a quick video, and look for this one to show up exclusively at Harrods in London on Monday, November 1st.
Wrap your iPhone 4 in Swarovski crystals
Now that Apple has all but confirmed that the iPhone 4 needs a case to work correctly, you might as well go as over-the-top as possible, right? Enter this Swarovski crystal case from Caze -- over 1500 Swarovski glass crystals covering every part of the iPhone's sides and back, encircling your handset in garish, diamond-like ... erm ... luxury? Just in case the classic silver version above isn't flashy enough for you, the case is also available in Gold, Blue, or Pink. And if you so choose, you can even get a free crystal Apple logo along with your purchase. Sheesh. I can't say I'd want my iPhone looking like that, but each to his or her own, I guess. And wait for the price: the case will set you back a full $199 plus shipping and tax. In other words, probably the same thing you paid for the 16gb iPhone underneath it. If you've got an extra $200 sitting around and want to make your iPhone extra shiny, I'm sure Caze will happily help you out.
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 The halcyon times of extravagant debauchery and debauched extravagance are all but over, having been replaced by expectations of stoicism and perfectly measured hand waving.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?
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]
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]
Crapgadget CES, round 3: Moneual's $45K HTPC
There are some that might challenge the very idea of anything this expensive being a "crapgadget," but closer inspection of this item leaves little room for doubt. Indeed, it looks like Moneual's still around with its jewel laden "luxury" PCs, and we were fortunate enough to come across this delightful specimen on the floor of CES. The 701 Jewelry HTPC is handcrafted with gold and brass and adorned with 3500 Swarovski elements -- as well as HDMI, Blu ray, and Windows Vista Home Premium. Your cost? A mere $45,000. "The price of gold is going up," the helpful chap at the company's booth pointed out. This isn't a media PC, then -- it's an investment. Before you call your broker, take a closer look at the gallery below. %Gallery-82394%
Olympus Pen E-P1 spoiled by Swarovski
You know how to ruin a luxurious shooter already steeped in fine retro-styling? Slather on the Swarovski crystal, that's how. This £1,999 CrystalRoc bastardization of Olympus' E-P1 Micro Four Thirds wundercam more than doubles the price of the de-iced original. So sad... then again, maybe you like it.
Douglas Little's Adamo series: the most expensive snake you've seen glued to a laptop all week
While Dell's partnerships with MLB and OPI are content with merely printing new designs onto the laptop lid, creative director Douglas Little of D.L. & Co. took things a lot too far with this Swarovski Crystal-embedded sterling silver snake -- adorning an etched Adamo 13 lid. We can't decide if we're offended by the gaudy display, or incredibly impressed with how audacious it is, so we'll just leave our mouths hanging open and let you decide for yourself. What we do know is that it's part of a series of one-offs produced for Bergdorf Goodman retail in some capacity, and we're sure with a bit of recession-style haggling you should have no trouble squeezing one of these onto a second mortgage. %Gallery-74955%
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.
Sony's newest digiframe sports Swarovski crystals, little else
We're not sure if Sony is looking to combine the timeless elegance of precision-cut lead crystal glass with the utility of a digiframe, or if some Swarovski elements just fell off the back of a truck or something, but if you're looking for a way to display your precious moments to the world we got just the thing for you here. The newest in the S-Frame line, the DPF-D72N/BQ features a 7-inch 16:10 LCD display with WVGA (800 x 480) resolution, one gigabyte storage capacity, auto-resizing for images, USB connectivity, support for memory cards (including Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick PRO Duo, SD, MMC, Compact Flash, xD-Picture Cards, and SDHC), an accelerometer, a wall mount, and support for JPEG and RAW (SRF, SR2, ARW) files. Sure, we think that any alleged "class" imbued by Mr. Swarovski's crystals is more than offset by that large Sony logo plastered on the front of the thing, but perhaps you feel differently. If so, look for this guy in October for $150.
World's most expensive vacuum also claims title of world's gaudiest
You may think that the world's most expensive vacuum would be a Dyson or some other high-tech cleaning contraption, but that's apparently not the case, at least according to the vacuum authority that is the Guinness Book of World Records. No, the world's most expensive vacuum is apparently this otherwise ordinary Electrolux, which has been adorned with 3,730 Swarovski crystals by Polish designer Lukaz Jemiol and now commands the princely sum of £13,825 (or just under $20,000). That may not help the vacuum's cleaning ability much, but it'll certainly help it hold its own against all the other Swarovski-encrusted products out there, which, last we checked, includes everything imaginable. Better act quick if you're looking to add to the collection though, as this one is strictly one of a kind.
Hands-on with Gigabyte's new netbooks, all-in-one PC and peripherals
Just as ASUS did, Gigabyte pulled out all the stops at this year's CeBIT. The outfit had loads of new equipment out for display, including a fresh bunch of netbooks, a few new input peripherals (mice, keyboards, the usual) and an all-in-one PC known as the AIO-1192. Unfortunately, the device we were looking forward to handling most was behind lock and key, but that's probably because of those ingrained Swarovski crystals. Can't tempt those onlookers, we tell ya. Have a peek around in the galleries below.%Gallery-46424%%Gallery-46430%%Gallery-46431%
Gigabyte lays out new mice and keyboards for CeBIT debut
We already knew that Gigabyte was planning a few netbook launches here in Hannover, but now we're receiving word that a number of new mice and keyboards should also be on display. First up is the GM-M8000 laser gaming mouse, which boasts a 4,000dpi sensor, a scaling-designated switching button, five other programmable buttons, an ergonomic design and a trio of profiles for storing different macro settings for different titles or users. Next up is the GM-M7800S wireless critter (pictured above), which tops out at 1,600dpi resolution but sports a leather coating along with Swarovski crystals. Closing things off are the multimedia-centric GK-K6800 and ultrathin GK-K7100 keyboards, both of which are blessed with copious amounts of hotkeys and an appropriately placed Shift button. Mum's the word on price, but hopefully we'll learn more once CeBIT opens its doors. Full release is after the break.%Gallery-46162%
Elton John's Swarovski-encrusted charity iPod nano
Out to give the rumored MySpace MP3 player a run for its money, Elton John has launched his own iPod nano lineup, raising money for a charity close to his hearts and our own -- the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Taking his cue from the classy 'n' sassy Swarovski crowd, the players are bedazzled in the aforementioned crystals, and are available in black, green, orange, pink, purple, red, silver, or yellow. Available at Goldgenie and Selfridges, the 8GB version is going for £399.99 ($566) while the 16GB model will set you back a cool £449.99 ($638). Be sure to jump on this soon, as each color is only offered in a limited edition of 100. And if that weren't enough, Goldgenie is throwing in "Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits CD" with every order. More pics after the break.[Via Pocket Lint]
Yubz Swarovski-covered cellphone handset plunges us into a sea of despair
Sometimes we get the impression that somewhere out there is a community of ultra-wealthy individuals that live lives of unimagined excess and opulence. And when they get together to do whatever it is that they do -- think of ways to take over the world, perhaps -- they can be recognized by the fact that all of their belongings are encrusted in Swarovski crystal. From cameras to coffee makers, they live in a world of such rarefied elegance that any non-Swarovskified gadget is a blight, an eyesore. Even if you think we're a bit off base, it appears that someone at Yubz might know where we're coming from. The company is known for its plug-in handsets for cellphone users who want to kick it old school (like, "bakelite" old school). These things are usually available in cool colors like "Russian Red" and "Regal Gold" for somewhere around $45 ($75 if you want Bluetooth support). According to Chip Chick, the company has announced their newest handset line: beginning with "Lust" and working its way up through the Seven Deadly Sins, these guys will feature Bluetooth, a hell of a lot of Swarovskis, and an $1,800 price tag. Should be hitting the streets in the spring, if you can wait that long. And we've included a couple pictures of the standard device after the break, so you could see what all the fuss is about. You're welcome.
Swarovski-coated webcam: because everything should be shiny
Vicious and Divine's Laplace webcam had it all... 2 megapixel photo and 1.3 megapixel video resolution, an integrated flash so that it could handle innumerable lighting situations, a folding mechanism that particularly suited it to mounting on laptops or flat panel monitors, plus that compact and sleek design. It was the jet-set of webcams, some might say, but it seemed to lack something -- some essential quality of life. Possibly a higher purpose? As it turns out, all it needed was to be absolutely, 100 percent covered -- bedazzled, if you dare -- in Swarovski crystals. The results are pretty... stunning. And not at all obscene. It comes in both black and clear crystal variations, and €49.99 (about $63) seems a small price to pay for something that's going to make you the envy of all of your friends -- but it seems to be available only in Europe. Your loss, rest-of-the-Earth!Update: According to a commenter, the actual price of this camera is €399, not €49.99. We missed that in our frenzied excitement.
Compact-esque LG Reveal and Shimmer Kit primping for Bell launch
The shock! The horror! We're beginning to see signs of an absolutely impossible trend, one that just cannot be coming to fruition. Merely hours after spotting the compact-like Samsung CLEO comes an obvious rival: the LG Reveal. The chic flip phone is said to boast a full QWERTY keypad (for realz?), a black or purple motif, a 2.0-megapixel camera, built-in Bluetooth and a 2.4-inch display. Also of note, the handset will be offered with an exclusive Swarovski Crystal Bluetooth headset as part of the LG Shimmer Kit, and each one of these packages will lead to a $5 donation to Fashion Cares. Mum's the word on pricing / exact availability, but we'd bet dollars to donuts that yet another makeup compact-turned-flip phone appears before too long. Even if it's just in our nightmares.[Via mobilesyrup]
Scitec's Swarovski skullphones: Look what the cat dragged in
Somehow, we don't think that this was what Swarovski had in mind when they began whoring their luxury name onto consumer electronics a few years ago. The Scitec SEB-100 canal-type earbuds with fancy, "hand-pasted" crystals will cost ¥10,000 (about 100 US beans) when they hit Japan later this month. The perfect gift for the glam-rock pansy struggling with middle age on your Malibu, beachside block.
Sonoro's saucy Swarovski-covered elements stardust radio demands $2,500
"Sonoro" and "absurdly expensive" have always gone hand-in-hand, but even we're a bit taken aback by the sticker on this one. The company's latest example of extravagance is the elements stardust, an "exclusive" AM / FM / MP3 clock radio that's smothered from one end to the other in Swarovski crystals. This thing's not all looks, though -- it's got a LED-illuminated metal ring for quick-touch control of tuning and volume, a full-range speaker, and an integrated bass reflex tube. Too bad you'll have to sashay down to Saks Fifth Avenue with $2,500 and an evil grin in order to take one home.[Via Blast]
Pentax K-m DSLR gets smothered in Swarovski crystals
No, you can't order a Pentax K-m with live view, but you can end up with one littered in Swarovski crystals. Over at Photokina, this gem (ahem) was proudly on display, reportedly aimed at dames in the crowd with a thing for fashion and technology. A company representative wouldn't disclose pricing, through she did say any prospective buyers could phone up Pentax to talk cheddar.[Via Pocket-lint]
