By David Ponce

Let’s face it, Vertu phones are for the rich. They’re a status symbol, like a Ferrari or a Rolex. And now the company is launching its first touchscreen with a capacitive AMOLED touch display and an upgraded 8 Megapixel camera, which is a first of its kind in this high-end range. Also, 32GB of data storage on the phone. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. Specs don’t really matter on these phones; they could be steam powered and they’d still sell. We don’t even know what OS it’s going to be running. It might be Symbian for all we know as that was a staple Virtu OS previously. What does matter for a Virtu owner is the other stuff that comes with its purchase. Top notch concierge service for instance.

Vertu Concierge can arrange bespoke gifts for a loved one, or suggest the best restaurant in town for a business meeting, all thanks to their staff of global experts based in all the major cities that will advise you either via voice call or email.

Vertu Concierge can even get you past the lines and security and night clubs and country clubs, partnering with many members around the world to offer a once-yearly admission for you and a friend.

Hear that? VIP service at clubs? There’s even access to a sommelier to help you pick good wines. And here are the prices: “Brown ($6,070), polished black or pink ($6,760), black alligator ($8,967), black or white alligator leather with diamonds ($10,900), and red gold with precious metals ($15,034).”

Oh and Rosie Huntington-Whitely was at the launch party. She’s the girl that replaced Meagan Fox on the new Transformers movie. Just sayin…

[ Vertu Website ] VIA [ Just Luxe ]

By David Ponce

Not only does it look better than that kidney, it tells the time. But who are we kidding, you won’t have to sell a kidney to buy this. Please. You’re buying it because you already own a Lamborghini and have to buy a timepiece that matches, don’t you? Well, here you have Adriano Valente’s AV-L001, a watch with a matching price tag of $35,000. For roughly one-tenth the price of the car, you get a casing made of Karbonyte (allegedly a Titanium Carbon alloy, but we can’t find anything on this online…), a backplate made of either aluminum or titanium, a sapphire crystal cover and titanium screws. The mechanism “is based on the mechanical Engine 001 movement, specially made for the company.” The wrist bands can be made from carbon infused rubber or Alcantara laced rubber.

This will be a limited edition set, with numbered models.

[ Product Page (Warning: crappy Flash page with auto-music) ] VIA [ BornRich ]

By David Ponce

A few days ago, a company called Brikk announced the release of a line of cases for the iPhone 4 and 4S called “Trim”. Their claim to fame was that they were made of pure titanium milled from a single slab of material and fetched between $2,500 to $4,500. Also the company promised that for every case sold they’d donate one metric ton of rice to a charitable NGO of their choosing. Atonement for this unbridled excess, we imagine. Now, Brikk CEO Cyrus Blacksmith has divulged that they’re working on a case that one-ups all those other ones and is expected to cost north of $100,000. It will be released in January 2012.

Covered in 600 diamonds (weighing a total of 6 carats), Brikk will work with each customer to fine tune “diamond color and sizing specifications, engraving details, and more.” What’s more, since these cases cost just a tad more than the original “Trim” cases, 25 metric tons of rice will be donated instead of the original 1. While they only sell in Roseark stores in LA (where else?), roll-outs in other cities are expected in the future.

The above picture is not the case in question.

[ Brikk Trim iPhone Cases ] VIA [ The Rich Times ]

By Andrew Liszewski

To get your name in the Guinness Book of World Records you usually have to do something pretty over-the-top. Tightrope walk across Niagara Falls, wear a beard made out of bees, grow your fingernails to some asinine length or built a model car with over $2.7million dollars worth of precious stones and metals. And given I can’t see Robert Gülpen’s fingernails in this photo, I’m assuming he’s making his Guinness attempt with that last one.

This 1:8 scale replica of the Lamborghini Aventador took Robert 500 hours to create, and besides a body made from carbon fiber, it also features pointless details like diamonds in the rims, seats, steering wheel and headlights. Interestingly enough, the real Aventador, which went on sale this Summer, will cost you $379,700. Robert’s version, which lacks a working engine and most certainly doesn’t come with a stereo or air conditioning, will go on the auction block at Sotheby’s with a starting price of €3.5 million, or $4,789,000+. And while it’s not confirmed, Robert’s next effort will be a Hot Wheels-sized model of the McLaren MP4-12C that will sell for just over $1 billion.

[ Oddity Central - World’s Most Expensive Model Car Costs 12 Times More than the Original ] VIA [ ChiemgauOnline ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There are truly some ridiculous designs for iPhone-friendly speaker docks out there. So at this point if you’re going to throw your hat into the ring and try to outdo them, you really need to go for broke. Like Jean Michel Jarre has done with his new AeroDreamOne which stands 11 feet tall and includes a built in ladder so that mere mortals are still able to easily dock their iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad on top.

The 870 pound behemoth features 10,000 watts of total power broken down into a 4,000W low-end speaker, a couple of 1,600W mid-range speakers and a couple of 1,400W high-end speakers. Now given the AeroDreamOne is taller than the ceiling height in your average home, you’ve probably already guessed it’s not designed for your average consumer. And you’d be right. With a price tag of ~$560,000 (€399,000) I’m guessing your local Apple Store won’t be keeping them in stock. So not only do I now have to stare disappointingly at the tiny speaker dock I use, I’ve also got Popcorn stuck in my head. Awesome…

[ Jarre ] VIA [ Newlaunches ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I don’t care if they pulled your entire family and all of your furniture out of a burning house and then went back in to put out the fire. No child on Earth deserves as elaborate and over-the-top a playhouse as Lilliput Play Homes sells. The ‘Grand Victorian’ model (pictured on the bottom) starts at $19,999 and includes such unnecessary amenities as “…a wraparound porch, elegant stained glass window, window boxes full of fresh blooms, a sunny skylight, and a working doorbell and brass door knocker. Inside, the decorative details continue with a bay window with a cozy window seat, sponge-painted walls, simulated hardwood floors, fireplace mantel and an upstairs loft accessed by a ladder.”

The ‘Cotton Candy Manor’ (pictured on top) starts at a cheaper, though equally ridiculous, $9,599. And both playhouses come with the option for miniature matching furniture like a playable grand piano, kitchen appliances and even spaces for TVs. Now sure, they do look a lot safer than being perched high up in a tree on a couple of pieces of 2 by 4. But I feel they’re robbing kids the use of their imaginations. Unless the parents who buy one of these uses them as a tool to teach valuable lessons about paying mortgages or the rise and fall of property taxes.

[ Lilliput Play Homes ] VIA [ I New Idea ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Branded accessories, like the Porsche ice cube tray we brought you earlier, are a clever way for supercar manufacturers to let everyone own a piece of a vehicle they may never be able to afford. But instead of producing a $19 novelty kitchen accessory, Lamborghini has introduced a collection of bags made from pre-stiffened carbon fiber.

As we all know carbon fiber is frequently used in the manufacturing of high performance cars since it’s both light and strong, but it’s also very expensive. Contributing to the astronomical cost of the vehicles, and unfortunately these bags. The cheapest of the lot, the Carbon Envelope Bag, sells for ~$1,224 (€850). While the top-of-the line Carbon Travel Soft Bag (aka duffel bag) comes in at around ~$2,090 (€1,450). In the middle you’ve also got the Carbon Messenger Bag for ~$1,512 (€1,050), with all of them being available sometime this Fall.

[ Lamborghini Carbon Fiber Bags ] VIA [ TopSpeed ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The components that make this ‘luxurious’ HiCan bed so unique can easily be assembled for far less than its $60,000+ (EUR 42,000) price tag. But why go to all that trouble when you can just order one for the price of a moderately equipped luxury sedan? After all, you’ll be spending far more of your life in this bed than any car. So it’s easily justifiable.

Besides the normal luxuries you’d find on a bed like a mattress and pillows, the HiCan includes retractable privacy blinds, a hi-def video projector that works with a retractable screen at the the foot of the bed, a “state-of-the-art” sound system, a built-in multimedia PC and gaming console and most importantly, a pair of reading lights! (Now I understand why it costs so much.) For the truly lazy and/or bed-ridden the HiCan is also equipped with a home automation system for managing all of its built-in components, including an adjustable bed as well as other appliances or devices in your bedroom. You even get your choice of one of eight different colors when you place an order. The only thing you won’t get is the bed itself, as according to their website they’ve started an “exclusive reservation list.” Which basically means it’s not actually available yet.

[ HiCan Bed ] VIA [ Fancy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It’s probably just me, but if I was spending $1,500 on a timepiece, I’d probably put the money towards a nice watch. Not a mantle clock designed to look like one of McIntosh’s stereo power amplifiers. I’ll give credit where credit is due though. The clock is built with the same sized faceplate and meters as the actual amps, and the ‘hands’ in the 12 hour and 60 minute meters fly back when they reach the end of the scale. So the company gets high marks for their attention to detail, and I can certainly see the appeal of its soft green and blue glows in a dark room. Buuuuuuut in the end it’s still just a $1,500 clock. And I’m pretty sure even the audiophile friends you’re trying to impress would raise a skeptical eyebrow at it.

[ McIntosh MCLK12 Mantle Clock ] VIA [ Uncrate ]