Vertu Constellation Quest Ferrari Smartphone Take one astronomically pricey phone, brand it with a supercar badge, add an overly elaborate name, and slap it with a price tag that would make Carlos Slim raise an eyebrow, and what do you have? A Vertu smartphone is what. Not that we’re saying the Vertu smartphone is not a good phone – the device boasts a sapphire crystal keypad, a titanium battery cover, and the Ferrari link isn’t just skin deep, with a Ferrari engine coating finish, Ferrari leather trim and a tachometer-inspired clock. However, it does seem to be more form over function. While the hardware is unsurpassed, it bafflingly uses the outdated Symbian S60 OS – software which has been dropped by Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson. The OS has, on the other hand, been heavily modified by Vertu to include a whole range of exclusive features. Buyers also get Ferrari-related services, such as a dealer locator and notification of upcoming Ferrarirelated events. Even the ringtones are Ferrari-oriented, as buyers get three variations of a track-flogged 458 Italia to assign to contacts.
Aston Martin This is one that’ll get the James Bond fans and petrol heads among you really excited. The Mobiado Aston Martin Grand Touch is essentially a Samsung Nexus S (note: NOT the flagship Galaxy Nexus) dressed up in an extremely stylish Aston Martin design with a staggering list of customised luxury materials. For starters, the Grand Touch Aston Martin comes with 139 carats of sapphire crystal, an insert which is actually made out of gold mother of pearl, and a stunning CNC machine-anodized aluminium body. The buttons themselves are sapphire crystal, while the screws are all made out of gunmetal stainless steel. Not only that, Mobiado adds more class to the battery cover by using a single piece of sapphire crystal. Other hardware specifications include a 4-inch display at 480 × 800 resolution, a 5-megapixel camera, but unfortunately, it only runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, and not the latest Ice Cream Sandwich. This is a truly exclusive phone that you won’t find in any mall in the Gulf. If you really want one, you’ll have to contact Mobiado directly, and hope that your spending clout bags you one of this limited run.
TECHNOLOGY
Tag Heuer We featured Tag Heuer’s MERIDIIST mobile phones last year, and while we absolutely loved these extremely stylish smartphones, aside from having a ridiculously long battery life they were a little limited in features. Not so any more, as Tag have now released this stunning smartphone, called the LINK. Featuring a 1 GHz processor, Google Android 2.2 operating system, and software customizations, this luxury smart phone is designed in Switzerland and hand-assembled in France. Made of high-end materials like steel, 18k rose gold or titanium paired with rubber, alligator skin or leather trim, it runs a skinned (modified in a special Tag Heuer style) version of Android Froyo which, while somewhat outdated, does allow you access to the hundreds of thousands of apps available on Android, and the User Interface looks very good with the Tag Heuer customisation. It also boasts two applications exclusive to the LINK: So Apps and TAG Heuer Mobile Security. And, most impressively, like the MERIDIIST it boasts a standby (can remain on without any use) time of up to 330hrs, or around a fortnight!
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