vertu
Latest
Vertu Constellation, now in Mixed Metal flavor
Stainless steel, gold -- how is one exceptionally well-to-do individual to decide? Now one doesn't have to, all thanks to Vertu's Mixed Metal edition of the Constellation. While lacking the 3G data of its Ascent Ti cousin, the Constellation at least has the common decency to rock four bands of GSM reception plus EDGE data, giving users at least a fleeting hope of exploiting the phone's customized version of S40 to its fullest. Then again, virtually anyone within Vertu's target demo couldn't care less about the radio or the operating system; in this rarified air, it's all about the preciousness of the metals, and this particular version of the Constellation seems to deliver by mixing in gold accents (real gold, naturally) with the stainless steel theme. Interested parties should tap their Swiss accounts or prepare to sell their souls, firstborns, or some combination therewith.[Via Sybarites, thanks JW]
Keepin' it real fake, part C: the FCC probably thinks it's a real Vertu
It takes a very special kind of knockoff to earn a place in the history books as the 100th official installment of our Keepin' it real fake series, and we think we've come across just the right item here. Meet the "730 ROYAL-GP" from Century Telecom, a gussied-up candybar that makes no bones about the fact that it's stealing a few cues from Vertu. That in itself isn't notable -- heck, we pass on writing about eBay auctions hawking Vertu knockoffs seemingly weekly -- but what is notable is that these guys had the stones to push the 730 ROYAL-GP through the FCC. With awesome features like GPRS data and a tri-band GSM radio, we're not too sure why they even bothered, especially considering that any attempt to sell it stateside will carry the risk of Nokia's mighty wrath. On the other hand, it's bound it cost less (way less) than the real thing.[Thanks, Mickel]
Signature Black & White Diamonds: Vertu's latest shiny mess
Okay, Vertu, we get it, neither you nor your customers give a flip about staying even remotely up on technology. If you did, you'd stop selling the Signature, a model that's been kicking around since the company itself. Anyway, for the technologically illiterate fashionista with absolutely, positively nothing better to do with that aluminum briefcase full of unmarked, non-sequential $100's, Vertu presents the "Black & White Diamonds" version of the same old Signature candybar featuring 644 white diamonds paired with 428 of the black variety. Personally, we'd gladly lose a couple hundred of those diamonds in exchange for even just a quadband radio, EDGE data, and a 2 megapixel camera -- but then again, if you're the celebrity, what do you need a cam in your phone for?[Thanks, JW]
Vertu does it again, crafts second Ferrari phone for $25K
See, here's the thing about Vertu phones: anyone who's wealthy enough to afford one probably wants (and can afford) more than one, probably doesn't care about newfangled goodies like 3G or a large, high resolution display, and probably keeps a Ferrari or two in the garage. On that note we give you the "Ascent Ferrari 60," the Nokia division's second Ferrari-themed handset. Unlike the first -- which happened to also be an Ascent -- the Ferrari 60 features a shift gate on its posterior instead of a brake pedal, which clearly makes it worth the €18,000 (about $25,370) asking price. Of course, that hefty cost of admission also nets you an elaborately fashioned storage box, a Vertu Aerius headset, and an actual valve out of a Ferrari F1 car, so the 60 lucky sons of guns that grab this thing are in for a treat (if valves and outdated Bluetooth headsets are your thing). Check it out at Nokia's London, Paris, Singapore, and Hong Kong locations.[Via Autoblog, thanks Kane]Read - SybaritesRead - Reuters
Vertu's 3G Ascent Ti hits the shops
Vertu has finally seen fit to bump one of its out of the ballpark expensive sets into the 3G world, welcome the Vertu Ascent Ti, 'bout time we say, bout time. Featuring a casing "forged" from solid titanium, a "floodlit" keypad, 4GB of internal storage -- and with the 3 megapixel autofocus cam, you'll need that space -- UMTS in the 2100Mhz range, and a design strikingly similar to all other Vertu handsets, so if you're in the market for Vertu love, now's the time to strike. We dig these handsets only because of the untouchable status the pricing scheme puts them in. Oh, and as per usual, no dollar details are listed, but they should be in the shops any day now.[Thanks, Egor L]
Vertu Constellation in rose gold, pricing still outrageous
All that glitters chez Vertu is gold -- well OK most, but who'd spend this much for stainless steel? -- and in the case of this handset in the Constellation series, rose gold. Unlike other in the collection, leather choices only include black, and not the other garish colors we've seen before. This handset still impresses with its opulence factor, but we'd like to see the inclusion of 3G for the kind of money you have to drop to join the club.[Via Sybarites]
Vertu's 3G Ascent Ti hits FCC
You've gotta give credit to Vertu for maximizing the life of its Signature and Ascent models by tweaking colors and precious metals ad nauseam, but at some point, you knew they had to just gut the thing and start anew. This here "Ascent Ti" just passed through the FCC, taking the Ascent formula and updating key specs to bring the luxury phone well into 2007. Namely, the Ascent Ti offers UMTS 2100 (for 3G data pretty much everywhere but here), a whopping 3 megapixel autofocus camera with flash, and what appears to be a well-updated, Vertu customized build of Series 40. No word on release date, but unless your last name happens to be "Rockefeller," you may need the time to save the dough anyway.
Vertu's avant-garde handsets to hit Japan in 2008
Being that the economy seems to be doing quite well over in Japan these days, it follows logic that Vertu would offer up its pricey wares for the affluent on that side of the world, too. Apparently, Vertu is working with Nokia to develop a W-CDMA handset for use in Japan, but details beyond that are few and far between. Thankfully, we do know not to get our hopes up before the fall of 2008, but hopefully we'll find out exactly what phone(s) will be headed to the Land of the Rising Sun -- along with the lofty pricetags that will surely accompany them -- a few months prior to launch.[Via Slashphone]
Vertu's diamond-encrusted Signature, now in pink
We're not sure what's richer: this phone, or the fact that it's the very same model that launched Vertu to mobile infamy some four years ago. We guess those with more money than tech savvy can look forward to gorging themselves on this marvel of modern opulence, Vertu's pink diamond Signature. For what it's worth, this isn't the first time Vertu has completely coated its Signature model in the glittery stuff -- and we imagine it won't be the last -- though this one rocks out with rose gold and a healthy dose of pink diamond intermixed with the traditional type. Look for it in a Vertu retailer near you, and if you have to ask the price... well, you know.
Nearly $6 million in Vertu phones stolen from van
Stealing £3 million ($5.94 million) worth of mobile phones sure sounds like a risky way to may a buck, but if you're going to jack mobile handsets, you might as well swipe the ones that depreciate the least, eh? A crew of four men in Europe apparently agreed with that mantra, as they got up the nerve to run a Vertu van off the road with their Subaru and reportedly swiped a fair amount of handsets before darting off. There was no word on just how many phones were actually stolen, but we're sure the boys in blue found a fully stocked trunk after it located the crashed vehicle in Slough, Banks. Two of the four masked bandits were later captured and arrested for their part in the heist, but the other duo is probably trying to figure out how in the world they would unload hordes of these highly sought after mobiles without garnering suspicion in the first place.[Via BGR]
Keepin' it real fake, part LVI: plastic Vertu semi-knockoff
Well well, Nokia's ritzy and flashy Vertu subsidiary finally has a competitor! Jokes aside, this new Vertu-logoed clone looks decent, but definitely is not up to par (from images, anyway) to the real deal. While we love smaller-sized Vertu knockoffs, this time around the larger "semi-lookalike" handset smacks of real Vertu design. However, it does not resemble any publicly known Vertu handset. Still, the Vertu logo is stamped on this baby and telltale yet subtle signs of it being a Vertu handset are woven in there as well. Tech details include a QVGA touchscreen, no physical keypad, stereo speakers, microSD slot and a 4 megapixel cam. Throw in a 2,000 mAh battery and this is one phone with major-league specs. Except that it's not a Vertu.[Via Just Another Mobile Phone Blog]
Vertu's "Strawberry" and "Cream" Ascents
Frankly, we're not sure who's still buying the Vertu Ascent. Contrary to what Vertu might think, its handsets aren't timeless -- as technology plods ever forward, so must the world's phones. Alas, the company is seeing fit to roll out yet another batch of special editions of its most "mainstream" (we use that term very loosely here) model. "Strawberry" and "Cream," as one might expect, are pink and white respectively and feature perforated leather on their rears to roughly approximate the texture of a strawberry. Of course, it takes a very special kind of "rich" to afford a Vertu, so maybe existing owners are snatching these things up and putting them into some sort of ornate, wooden storage box, never to be used or seen again. To you folks, look for these newest models to grace your Vertu retailer come June.[Thanks, James]
Vertu Ascent, now in "I drive a Ferrari" flavor
When you think about it, Vertus and Ferraris have a lot in common: just as Ferraris give a select few the opportunity to spend an insane amount of cash on an object that provides little more value than a, say, $1,000 used car, Vertu offers a product with little additional value (and in some cases, less value) than phones offered free from carriers. Of course, you can't put a price on status, so getting these two status symbols to hook up and co-brand a device seems like a match made in heaven (more appropriate than a Ferrari-branded Moto, for example). The "Ferrari Challenge" rendition of the Ascent -- in red and black leather -- is limited to 1,947 examples (can that many people in the world really afford this thing?), each featuring a couple well-placed Ferrari logos and some weird thing on the back that's apparently supposed to look like a brake pedal. Look for it to grace your local Vertu retailer in July -- but please don't use it while driving, lest you destroy your real Ferrari, k?[Via Autoblog, thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Vertu's Signature Cobra claims "world's ugliest phone" throne
What's there really to know here? Small luxury phone manufacturer goes insane, slaps a pair of hugemongous diamonds, two emeralds and 439 rubies on to an absolutely garish cobra, glues it to a lame-ass phone and sells the setup for $310,000? Pretty much. We can only take solace in the fact that only 8 of these Signature Cobra phones will be made by Vertu and its partner in crime, French jeweler Boucheron. There's also a "cheap" version, the $115k Signature Python, which is due for a production run 26 strong, but if you're actually going to spring for something this ridiculous, why not go all the way, right? [Via SlashPhone; Thanks Trae M]
Vertu wraps up Racetrack Legends series with box set
Purchasing a single Vertu handset probably qualifies as conspicuous consumption in most social circles. What term, then, can be used to describe the act of purchasing every model in the company's limited-edition "Racetrack Legends" series along with a matching, handcrafted, carbon fiber display case? We're not sure, but needless to say, we've added this puppy to our "things to buy when we make our first billion" list. As a refresher, the Racetrack Legends handsets hail from Vertu's Ascent line of phones / fashion accessories; with a tri-band GSM radio (no EDGE) and no camera, the meager tech specs have no bearing on the MSRP whatsoever, but you'll get six of the world's greatest race tracks neatly engraved on the handsets' posteriors -- which is more than we can say for pretty much any phone we've ever used. For the record, the last two handsets to be released in the series are Monaco and Nürburgring, which can also be purchased independently of their lavish case. We don't have the list price for any of these goodies in front of us at the moment, but we're not sure we want to know.[Via Autoblog]
Vertu intros two more Racetrack Legends handsets
Luxury cellphone maker (and Nokia subsidiary) Vertu recently took the wraps off the two new newest models in its RaceTrack Legends line of handsets, leaving only two more left to come to complete the set (and yes, there will be a boxed set). The Indianapolis and Le Mans models seen here follow the Monza and Silverstone editions released earlier this year, each limited to just 1,000 units with the first 50 numbered phones of each handset reserved for the aforementioned, unlikely-to-be-reasonably-priced boxed set. The phone's themselves feature the same specially-treated, carbon fiber-mimicking leather as the earlier models and presumably the same technical specs, though Bluetooth and tri-band connectivity are hardly the big selling points here.[Via Autoblog]
Hands-on with Vertu's latest, the Constellation
If you're going to drop four figures (or more) on a cellphone, the least Vertu can do for you is hook you up with quadband GSM plus EDGE, and their latest Constellation model finally delivers. Sybarites.org recently had the opportunity to play around with the Constellation and came away very impressed -- we'd expect no less -- loving its S40 OS (highly modified to suit Vertu's needs, of course), the aviation-themed graphics and animations, and that jeweled Vertu keypad we all know and love. It seems the leather / steel model is the only one out the door at the moment, with a gold version to follow -- but rest assured, regardless of the type you choose, it's going to be mighty heavy.
Vertu Aerius runs rebadge on Jabra JX10
What do you get when the manufacturer of world's most expensive line of cellphones decides to create an accompanying Bluetooth headset? You wouldn't think the answer would be a 1yr+ old Jabra JX10 rebadge, but there it is. Guess the headset being designed by Jacob Jensen (say: Yakub Yensin) meant it was good enough to slap their label on (and bend the ear hook around a bit). We don't know how much more they think they can get away with charging for this thing, but that so sexy V seems to lure 'em in (oh, and apparently you get a nice leather pouch to go with it, too).
Nokia re-ups 8800 specs with "Sirocco Edition"
Nokia's 8800 is what you might call a sit-there-and-look-pretty phone; despite its stratospheric sticker price, no one ever asked the Vertu-esque handset (or its North American cousin, the 8801) to lead the pack with its spec sheet. Nonetheless, with over a year of market availability under its belt, we wouldn't mind seeing 'er put out to pasture, and it looks like Nokia's on the same page. The 8800's successor is actually more of a mild refresh than a true replacement; in fact, they didn't even change the model number -- the 8800 "Sirocco Edition" sports a streamlined exterior with a funky-looking dent in its slide, a redesigned keyboard, and not much else. Some folks are claiming the new model will upgrade the cam from SVGA to a full 2 megapixels, which seems believable enough, but the German shop we've got here (currently) shows the same ol' 800 x 600. No word on a GSM 850-friendly 8801 Sirocco Edition in the works, but if the European price of €1099 (roughly $1400) for the 8800 were to carry over, we'd lack the wherewithal to rock it anyway.[Thanks, Gib]
Vertu Constellation gets the FCC treatment
If we're gonna drop a couple grand on a phone, the least it can do is give us quad-band GSM, right? As we reported a couple weeks back, Vertu's new Constellation handset picks up where their previous efforts left off, packing GSM 850/900/1800/1900 plus EDGE data all 2003-like. We weren't able to glean much from the draft manual (which still has Signature pictures in it), but the Constellation looks to rock a variant of Nokia's S40 platform -- we leave that to the world's privileged to decide whether that's an upgrade from the Signature and Ascent's OS. Look for this little slice of leather-covered opulence to drop later this year; we're sure you rich folk will find ways to shed some cash while you wait.
