Phones for the disgustingly wealthy

We’re pretty sure none of these ridiculously priced handsets will be on your upcoming holiday lists, but what the heck? Let’s take a quick look at how the other half lives anyway.

As usual, whenever I look at the buying habits of rich people, I’m left with more questions than answers: Are these trinkets ostentatious? Absolutely. Expensive? Of course. But most “old money” biddies wouldn’t be caught dead with these, and Hollywood starlets tend to sport BlackBerries, iPhones and Pres. So then, who exactly is buying these things? Somebody must be, because phone manufacturers keep making them.

Motorola Aura Diamond Edition
I won’t lie: I’m one of the few that actually liked the aesthetics of the original Aura. Not that I had the ducats to blow on it, but it was sleek, modern-looking and only just bling-y enough to appeal to the crazy Daily Candy–lovin’ girl in me. But this special edition Aura is a bit too over-the-top, even for my tastes.

The handset is plated in gold, and features a solid 18-karat gold nav key as well as 30+ round-cut diamonds set in arcs above and below the circular screen. It’s available on October 26 at £3500 (or $5,700), that is, for trust fund babies who wouldn’t have to trade in their 401k’s for it.

via: Pocket Lint

The Mobiado Grand 350 Pioneer
Part of Mobiado’s Grand Line, this GSM handset was crafted in honor of NASA’s Pioneer 10 spacecraft, launched 37 years ago. Each unit will have a limited edition number engraved on it, as well as the Pioneer 10’s launch date (March 3, 1972).

It sports 24-karat gold-plated screws, sapphire crystal and stainless steel buttons, and a ruby infrared screen (not to mention HSDPA, Wifi, GPS, QVGA screen, 3.2 MP camera, and a 2.5mm jack, for people who care about such things). But just as in life, so it goes with phones — the real meat is in the backside: The battery cover is made out of materials from the actual Gibeon meteorite discovered in Namibia in 1836 — 90% iron and 8% nickel, plus bits of phosphorus and cobalt. The battery cover also features a variation on the original Pioneer 10 plaques, which offered info about the human race for any extraterrestrial beings that would’ve encountered the ship.

This is nerd gear elevated to an unbelievable extreme. While a price hasn’t been announced yet, there are only 37 being manufactured, so it won’t be cheap. (I guess if you have to ask you can’t afford it).

via: Mobile Crunch, Unwired View

Vertu Constellation Ayxta
People of means have form-factor preferences too. For those discriminating users who turn their noses up at candy bar-style phones, Vertu offers a clamshell flip model called the Constellation Ayxta. It offers a stainless steel frame with ceramic, leather, and lightweight aluminum detailing, as well as a sapphire crystal screen. It even has a set of exclusive ringtones recorded by Zero 7.
 
But when it comes to this 3G device, which has a 3MP camera with flash and an 8 GB microSD slot, specs and hardware aren’t really the point; service is. This hand-crafted, leather-trimmed handset offers built-in access to the company’s 24-hour-a-day concierge service. At the push of a single button, clients can bark orders at a customer service agent from anywhere in the world. The Vertu Select service is also on board, so users can call up exclusive “lifestyle information,” like trendy nightclubs and restaurants in any location on their itineraries.

And for that privilege, the price is just a measly $6,500—$10,000. Far less expensive than having a traveling man servant on board, so it’s actually rather frugal, no?

via: Luxist, T3

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