All that glitters now rings

Instead of catering to a wider market, luxury labels like Dior, Versace, D&G, Armani and Vertu are happy targetting a handful of high-end customers. Of course, if you are part of the target group for these über-luxe handsets, then their price tags may not be of any importance. Neither probably are the specifications. It’s all about being seen with the right toys.

Dior phone and My Dior
Price: Rs 3,63,950

Following in the footsteps of big designer houses like Dolce & Gabbana, Prada and Armani, Christian Dior has also unveiled a super-luxe mobile phone called Feuille d’Or (or simply, Dior Phone and My Dior).

The selling point of Dior phone is the miniature phone, which is slightly bigger than a USB key, and is aptly named My Dior. This mini version of the Dior phone seems to be targetting women “who don’t want to rummage through their bags to find their phone”. The My Dior clips on the outside of a bag for easy access and communicates with the main Dior phone to make and receive calls.

But the price you pay is really for the Dior phone and its discreet Bluetooth-enabled partner My Dior (in black sapphire crystal), which are designed with 0.2 micron fine, 24-carat gold leaf on their main covers, on the navigation ring and circular side hinges of the Dior phone. Reportedly, a minimum of six days of attentive work by one artisan is required for the gold leaf work alone before the Dior phone is hand assembled in France.

Nevertheless, the phone comes with a 2.6-inch touchscreen display, flat-metallic keypad that is easy to be acquainted with, a camera of about 2-megapixel resolution and crisp sound quality when connected with the Bluetooth-enabled My Dior. Surprisingly, the battery holds up for a good six hours (with 400 hours of standby) and the exclusive melodies as ringtones on the Dior phone make it further endearing for women.

Verdict: If money is no object, then French luxury-goods company Christian Dior’s latest phone is definitely for you. Vertu Ferrari Ascent Ti
Price: Rs 3,56,915 (approx)

Vertu, a luxury mobile phone manufacturer owned by Nokia, has tied up with Italian car manufacturer Ferrari for its titanium phone with a limited edition of 2011 units. Vertu Ascent Ti special edition is inspired by the lines of Ferrari’s supercars and is forged from high-performance titanium and hand-stitched leather that is mostly found on sports cars.

Just 116 x 49 x 18 mm in size and weighing only 144 g, this handset looks definitely striking. A 950 mAh Li-Ion battery supports for four-hour backup and the integrated 2-inch sapphire crystal display promise Ascent Ti to be a worthwhile gizmo to have. A 3-megapixel autofocus camera with flash and 4 GB memory completes the package from Vertu.

The gaming system included in the Vertu Ascent Ti Ferrari is based on J2ME — in simple words ‘fun little games’. Built-in Bluetooth, and a micro-USB port for PC connections. A device like this deserves customised features and the Vertu Ascent Ti Ferrari edition does come with some: audio recordings of the Ferrari F430 and 612 Scaglietti engines, and a suite of custom ringtones composed by Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics.

Verdict: Anyone having a keen eye and a fat wallet should get one Ascent Ti – the phone having a battery cover designed like the sweeping bonnet of Ferrari’s super-cars – today.