Filed under: Cellphones

Heads up, affluent sect. The immensely pricey Professional 105 line is expanding, as two new members slip in to tempt your stuffed wallet. Mobiado’s Professional 105 EM is available in Cocobolo and Ebony, and the frame is even constructed from anodized aluminum; you’ll also notice sapphire crystal buttons and a black finish. As for the Professional 105 GCB, it’s layered with a 5-micron thick 24-karat gold plating and jazzed up with a fancy logo ’round back. Both candybars feature quad-band GSM support, a measly 1GB of internal storage space and a ho hum 2-megapixel camera, but fret not, as it’ll (very likely) be the most expensive lackluster cellphone you’ll ever pay for.

[Via UnwiredView]

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Filed under: Cellphones

If Christian Dior’s $5,000 handset just wasn’t rich enough for your blood, hopefully the crocodile skinned, Swarovski-covered iteration will put a sizable enough hole in your bank account to make you feel sufficiently important. Reportedly dubbed Lady Dior, the ModeLabs-created mobile features a 2.6-inch QVGA display, 2-megapixel camera, 640 Swarovski stones and absolutely nothing really worth the price tag. Speaking of which, said sticker is right around €18,000 ($28,360). Laughable, no?

[Via CNET]

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Filed under: Cellphones

We don’t know what it is about Nokia’s 8800, but fashionistas and high-end designers just can’t seem to keep their fingerprints off of it. Enter Thomas Heyerdahl, the same artisan who gussied-up an iPod shuffle earlier this year. This fellow has crafted a version of the handset laced with 112 authentic diamonds, and it’s said that only 100 of the coveted (and individually numbered) mobiles will be made available. All told, you’ll find 0.7 carats of United Nations-approved diamonds per phone, and while the bulk of these things will be sold in select outlets for 30,000 Norwegian kroner ($5,933), numero uno is set to be auctioned for charity to the highest bidder. Pony up, son!

[Via LuxuryLaunches]

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Filed under: Wearables

Believe it or not, the concept here isn’t revolutionary at all, but Studio 5050 is revising the old huggable shirt idea by infusing an ultra-soft hoodie with a pattern made of “silver conductive fabric.” When two people wearing the embrace-me hoodies, um, embrace one another, energy is transferred and a pattern on the back lights up while a heartbeat sound is emitted. Quite frankly, we can’t imagine this not boosting the hugs-per-day in a typical relationship, but at $480 to $600 per pair, counseling may come out a bit cheaper in the end.

[Via OhGizmo]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

We fully expected that Ferrari logo and lacquered paint job to add a stuff premium to Meridian’s F80, but this is undeniably insane. The “transportable home entertainment system,” which has been hovering about since last March, is at long last ready to be purchased. Finding prospective buyers, however, will likely be challenging. The unit is now available in silver, yellow, white, black and the obligatory red, and each one will set you back a dumbfounding $2,995. We’re thinking the unit itself would go for around three bills sans branding, but apparently Italian ponies aren’t cheap.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Portable Audio

Nothing says sexy like a sleek wood trim, wouldn’t you wholeheartedly agree? Vita Audio obviously does, as it’s £499.99 ($980) R4 integrated music system just screams lavish. The all-in-one unit packs an iPod dock, slot-loading CD / MP3 / WMA-music disc player, USB port, DAB and FM tuner with RDS, front and rear auxiliary ports, built-in display, alarm clock function and the firm’s detachable RotoDial remote. For those not feeling the rich walnut veneer, there’s also a high-gloss white (surprised?) version available for £50 ($97) more. Sadly, the “coming soon” tidbit leaves us clueless as to how long you actually have left to save up for either of the pricey systems.

[Via ShinyShiny]

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Filed under: Home Entertainment

Personally, we can only imagine what a $300,000 speaker setup sounds like. But you — we know you’re eager to pick up the Epilogue Speaker System (previous edition shown) and rub it in the faces of everyone else, right? Regardless of whether you answered that truthfully or not, Goldmund (those same cats who actually had the nerve to create a $17,000 Blu-ray player) has introduced the latest version of the aforesaid system, which will now be built specifically for integration into the Goldmund Media Room. Pretty though they may be, we have a sneaking suspicion you won’t be getting much bang for your buck with these — but then again, what do our virgin ears know, anyway?

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Filed under: Cellphones

Surely those rumored shots of TAG Heuer’s luxurious first handset from last week are still stuck in your head, right? Go on and purge those puppies right on out, as we’ve got the very first press shots (more in the read link) of the now-official Meridiist to focus our attention on. Reportedly, the handset was indeed developed in partnership with Modelabs, and beyond the all-metal casing, you can also expect a sapphire crystal screen, 2-megapixel camera, multimedia player, 1.9-inch QVGA display, Bluetooth and a battery good for 7-hours of yappin’ aimlessly about how pricey your new mobile is. Speaking of which, did we mention this prized piece will run you between €3,400 ($5,420) and €3,900 ($6,216), depending on customizations, when it sashays onto the scene in Q2? Yeah, ouch.

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Filed under: Portable Audio

To be honest, JVC’s P-Series LCD line may still hold the crown for most expensive iPod dock, but at least it comes with an expansive 1080p panel, right? Pushing aside a number of a worthy opponents on its charge to most absurd / unnecessary iPod dock evar, the iCoral supposedly features a top plate constructed from artificial coral and is proudly decorated with a “very artistic design” (Copulare’s words, not ours). ‘Round back, you’ll find USB, S-Video and stereo analog outputs, but we’re simply not seeing the slit in which your currency of choice comes out of at the press of a button. Due to that unfortunate omission, we’re suggesting you hold tight to your €1,500 ($2,355) — unless you’re one David Beckham, of course.

[Via UberReview]

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Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Despite Becks’ prior troubles with über-geeky car thieves, we’re fairly certain the LA Galaxy midfielder still has a soft spot in his heart for technology. And even if he doesn’t, we’re confident there’s a nook in there for precious metals. Reportedly, Mr. Beckham has been gifted with a gilded iPod touch (the top-end 32GB model, no less) by his English teammates after participating in his 100th appearance for the national club. Word on the street has it that the golden touch only set the squad back £600 ($1,188), which isn’t too shabby considering the £329 ($651) sticker on the vanilla version.

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Every so often, a projector hits the market that’s just so delectable, it’s hard to stop fantasizing about what pieces of your kids’ rooms could be auctioned off in order to procure it. Enter the $14,995 Meridian MF10, which is most certainly one those units. Packin’ a totally familiar black chassis, three 0.7-inch 1080p D-ILA chips, a native 30,000:1 contrast ratio, 700 lumens, and a 2x zoom lens (2:35:1 Cinemascope is optional), this PJ exudes confidence. You’ll also find a pair of HDMI 1.3 ports along with component, S-Video and composite (saywha?), an RS-232 control terminal and the ability to play nice with the firm’s $3,995 DVP2351 digital video processor (shown after the jump). Yeah, they’re both available as we speak, but can your Centurion Card really handle it? [Warning: PDF read link]

Continue reading Meridian announces MF10 1080p D-ILA projector at EHX

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Filed under: Laptops

For whatever reason, products designed in Cupertino have a strange attraction to precious coverings — ones created with gold and diamonds, namely. Nary a month after Apple’s thinnest laptop ever started shipping out to eager early adopters, over 8,000 Swarovski crystals have somehow found their way onto a totally helpless MBA. We wish we could say it was defaced and stripped of its soul for a good cause, but sadly, it wasn’t.

[Via Crystal Icing]

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Filed under: HDTV, Home Entertainment

At first glance, we didn’t really believe anyone would create a Blu-ray player with a $16,900 sticker. Then we saw it was produced by Goldmund. Continuing its long heritage of offering up grossly overpriced wares for those with more money than sense, the firm is now trumpeting a Blu-ray player more pricey than most low-end automobiles — and we’re not even sure it’s Profile 2.0. What we do know is that the Eidos 20 BD includes an AC-Curator power supply circuit, the outfit’s own Magnetic Damper for lowering read errors and a chassis only a mother could love. To each his / her own, we guess.

[Via CNET]

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Filed under: Displays, HDTV, Home Entertainment

With a name like BlackWing, it’s gotta be good, right? At least that looks to be the case with Cineversum’s latest trio of BlackWing Three projectors, as these bad boys sport a design eerily reminiscent of something straight out of the Star Wars galaxy and a specs sheet that impressed even Yoda would be. The entire trio gets blessed with a 30,000:1 contrast ratio, 1,920 x 1,080 Full HD resolution, two HDMI 1.3 inputs, Color-Select filters for wider color reproduction and a motorized zoom / focus. As for the Pro model, you can expect everything you see above coupled with an optional SD-SDI input and 12V triggers board, professional color management tools and VGA compatibility. Finally, the Ultimate ups the ante a touch further with two more HDMI 1.3 sockets, Mosquito Noise Reduction technology and Theater Mode for 2.35:1 anamorphic setups. ‘Tis a shame these start at £8,199 ($15,955), isn’t it?

[Via AboutProjectors]

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Filed under: Digital Cameras

Over a year after Leica rolled out its action plan to address those buggy M8s fresh off the factory floor, the digicam company is announcing yet another upgrade path, but this time it’s not on the house. Apparently, M8 owners that fall deeply in love with their shooter can get their name on a “waiting list,” and once their number is called, they get the privilege of shipping their device to Germany where a number of tweaks can be made. Reportedly, each M8 is suitable for upgrading, and aside from getting sent back with a fresh two-year warranty, it can also be fitted with a scratch-resistant LCD monitor cover (um, riveting?) and a new “electronically-controlled metal-blade slotted shutter that offers less noise and vibration.” Unfortunately, these changes will supposedly set one back €1,200 ($1,775), but alas, Leica suggests that said payment will make the M8 a “lifetime investment.” Right, just like that $9,000 desktop you procured in 1996.

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Filed under: Gaming

Yeah, just about anything gets ratcheted up a couple levels on the fantasmical scale if Darth Vader makes a cameo, but seriously, $15,000 for a Dark Side Wii? To be frank, this auction has spoof written all over it, but whatever the case, redferndesign is offering up a “limited edition” (one of four, supposedly) Wii system with a red CD input LED, an all black motif, Darth Vader imprinted on the side and a pair of black Wiimotes / nunchucks. Also of note, the Wiimote pictured must be one of the rarest ever, particularly when you consider the previously nonexistent “x” and “y” buttons and the rectangular power switch. Even if the console (alone) is indeed modded up, there’s no way anyone in their right mind will cough up that much coin, but why not hit the read link and have a laugh at his / her expense?

[Via Technabob]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Home Entertainment

Make no mistake, we’ve seen our fair share of astronomically priced speakers, but Perfect8’s latest may be one that actually looks halfway worth the ludicrous price. This glass-contained center channel rocks a set of casters, gold accents and a bevy of drivers. From the top, you’ll find a 28-millimeter silk dome tweeter, a pair of 5.25-inch MG-cone drivers and a couple of 7-inch speakers about midway down. The FORCE Center reportedly has a frequency response of 35Hz to 34,000Hz, can handle 200-watts of steady power and can be adjusted for 4:3 and 16:9 viewing (whatever that means). Of course, most of us will be drooling at this beauty from afar, as the $40,000 asking price will shoo away all but the wealthiest of aficionados.

[Via AudioJunkies]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Peripherals

Here at Engadget HQ, we’ve no particular issues with superfluousness, but we’re just hard pressed to believe that anyone could find value in a $30,000 remote control. Granted, we’d certainly have a change of heart if said remote could grant a trio of wishes, create a clone to handle our 9-to-5 and serenade us on command, but unfortunately, Lantic Systems’ RC 1 does none of the above. The discuss-shaped device only offers up control of one’s DVD player, TV, CCTV / security setup, audio system, lights, curtains, HVAC and any other standard AV component, all of which can be taken care of for a Toyota or so less. Interestingly, the outfit doesn’t even mention how much gold you’re really getting here, but considering that those signed on to bring one home likely posses more money than sense, that tidbit probably isn’t a dealbreaker.

[Via BornRich]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!