Gold -- Engadget Mobile

Blinged out Michael Jackson phone is fashionably late

by Laura June posted Nov 6th 2009 @ 12:25PM

Michael Jackson may never take the stage again, but that doesn't mean you can't commemorate him in your pocket, right? This special, "limited edition" mobile phone appears to have been dipped in gold and diamonds, and, if we're not mistaken... it's basically a Vertu KIRF that's dressed like a headless MJ? We're pretty light on specs and pricing information here, but rest assured that unless you live in China, you'll probably never be able to get your be-gloved hand on one of these. Nothing like cashing in on the dead.

[Via Shanzhai]

Motorola Ivory E18 luxury phone developed, scrapped

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jul 20th 2009 @ 5:32PM

If you're considering a luxury cellphone, you've probably given some thought to the Aura -- either as an object of unattainable techno-lust, or as a way to lighten your wallet by a grand or two (don't even get us started in Vertu). According to Mobile Review, Motorola wasn't planning on stopping there: The Ivory E18 (a name which either evokes elegance or animal cruelty, depending on your POV) featured a slider with two movements (a short slide for function keys, and a longer for the T9 keypad), a small footprint, and a 3 megapixel camera. The price? Well, for the stainless steel chassis you were looking at about €2,000 (about $2,821 at the moment). Also planned were phones with gold and platinum chassis, which would take the purchase price up to "several tens of thousands" of Euros. If Motorola wasn't aware of the sheer silliness of such an extravagant phone, at least the carriers were -- apparently it was lack of interest on their part that caused Moto to sack the project. Make sure you hit that read link for the whole story -- in Bulgarian.

[Via Unwired View]

Sony Ericsson W595 headed to Europe in Sandy Gold hue

by Darren Murph posted Dec 31st 2008 @ 5:06PM

If you're looking to sprinkle just a pinch of Mr. T into your life, there's hardly a better way than to pick up Sony Ericsson's forthcoming Sandy Gold W595. Reportedly, the only thing changing is the color, and Europeans enamored by that can get their jollies next February.

Mobiado frightens and offends with Professional 105GMT Gold handset

by Darren Murph posted Dec 8th 2008 @ 11:40AM

We've seen some ugly cellphones in our day, but we can't recall the last time we felt that touching one could cause irreversible harm to our bodies and minds. Falling squarely in the category of "wouldn't touch with a ~~ten~~ twenty foot poll" is Mobiado's Professional 105GMT Gold. This abomination was crafted from sapphire crystal, Ebony wood and a CNC machined frame which is doused in 24-carat gold. You'll also find a totally not awesome 1GB of inbuilt memory, a ho hum 2-megapixel camera and a 2-inch 320 x 240 resolution display. It also features multimedia playback, a quad-band GSM radio, Bluetooth, optional diamonds and a Discovery watch mechanism that was clearly added in a desperation move to make this seem "luxurious." No word on pricing, and we don't plan on digging around to find out.

[Via UnwiredView]

Gilded Samsung D780 is official for Russian Olympic team

by Sean Cooper posted Jun 22nd 2008 @ 9:06AM

Released in May of this year, the Samsung D780 must have turned enough heads that is was given the high honor of being the official handset of the Russian Olympic team. Perhaps the color thrilled? Maybe the fast and flowing lines or that certain je ne sais quoi brought about by gem encrusted or golden technology? Either way, the team will be enjoying tri-band GSM with EDGE, support for two SIM cards, 2.1-inch QVGA screen, FM radio, Bluetooth, microSD memory expansion, and a whole lot of gold. No price was given, but it is expected to be shipping by August this year.

Mobiado Professional 105 EM / GCB handsets: too luxurious for our fingers

by Darren Murph posted Jun 12th 2008 @ 12:32PM

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]

Goldstriker's work makes the LG Secret decidedly less secretive

by Chris Ziegler posted Jun 4th 2008 @ 7:45PM

As members of LG's fashion line, neither the KF600 nor KF750 Secret were ever designed to be completely anonymous, per se, and they definitely won't be if you procure yours through the folks at Goldstriker. The masters of conspicuous embellishment have added gold-plated versions of the new LG sliders to its line -- 24 karat gold, natch -- which should go nicely with the gilded Mercedes Benz medallions that Goldstriker also sells. It seems that your choice of the KF600 or Secret will run £329.95 or £529.95 respectively (about $648 or $1,035), which at least in the case of the KF600 isn't much of a premium over what you'd pay for a standard unlocked version. Just don't let that micron of gold rub off, and you should be golden. Yes, pun intended.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Pharrell tires of gilded BlackBerry, targets iPhone next

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 13th 2007 @ 7:41PM

Remember Pharrell Williams' solid gold BlackBerry 8700? Well, it turns out there's this little problem with coating your electronics in gold: they become obsolete long before the gold does. No worries, though; when you're Pharrell, exchanging that ancient piece of RIM kit for something a little more en vogue is as simple as pulling out the pocketbook. As you might imagine, Pharrell's newly yellowed iPhone is no fewer than 18 karats in purity, but unlike other phones in his collection that suffer from some amount of signal degradation, this one maintains the black plastic piece on the rear for reception's sake (now why you'd actually want to make calls on this as opposed to, say, just looking at it, we have no idea -- you'd have to ask Pharrell). No word on just how much coin was exchanged for this little surgical procedure, but we're pretty sure we don't want to know.

Gold looks without gold prices: Sagem's my220x

by Chris Ziegler posted Dec 11th 2007 @ 12:01PM

Squint a little, and you might think this is a two or three hundred dollar handset. Then you unsquint, see the Sagem logo, and say, "ahh, nevermind." No offense to Sagem, either; we think they make some decent looking phones -- not that we'd really know how they work here in the US -- but let's be honest, their specialty lies on the low end of the spectrum. The my220x candybar was released a few weeks back across the pond and appears to be making quite a splash on account of its tastefully applied gold accents and exceptionally low price. It's being sold for £14.99 (about $30) or less in retail outlets -- an aggressive price, yes, but without even a VGA camera to its name, just be forewarned that the gold trim is the fanciest feature of this simple candybar.

[Via Slashphone and Mobilewhack]

Samsung intros 18K Golden Edition E848 handset

by Darren Murph posted Oct 13th 2007 @ 4:30PM

Releasing gizmos to commemorate the 2008 Olympics in Beijing is becoming somewhat of a recurring theme, and the Samsung Anycall 18K Golden Edition E848 is keepin' the trend alive. Reportedly, the handset features an 18K golden reflective surface to compliment the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games logo imprinted on the back. Additionally, it boasts a 2.2-inch 320 x 240 resolution LCD, integrated media player, support for H.263 / MP3 / AAC / WMA / MPEG4 formats, quad-band connectivity, 70MB of internal memory, a microSD expansion slot, Bluetooth 2.0, A2DP, USB 2.0 and a talk time of around five hours. Mum's the word on an actual release date, but you can purportedly expect it to ring up for HK$2,780 ($359) whenever it lands. Check out a couple more shots after the jump.

Continue reading Samsung intros 18K Golden Edition E848 handset

Sony Ericsson's K630 gets official in black and gold

by Darren Murph posted Oct 11th 2007 @ 10:30AM

Just in case two recently announced Sony Ericsson mobiles weren't enough for one day, along comes the K630 to quell your grumbling. This handset sports a slightly less impressive feature set than the other two newcomers, but it ought to put a noticeably smaller dent in your wallet to compensate. Nevertheless, the K630 will be available in Havana Gold and Quick Black and will feature HSDPA, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync preloaded, a two-megapixel camera, 256MB M2 card, built-in Media Browser, an FM tuner, support for MP3 / AAC / WMA formats, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP, video recording at 15fps and USB connectivity. Mum's the word on pricing at the moment, but look for it to land in "select markets" during Q4. Check out a video of the device right over here.

[Thanks, tootie_boy]

Sigh: The 24 carat gold iPhone

by Thomas Ricker posted Oct 8th 2007 @ 7:13AM

Really, it was just a matter of time until bad taste prevailed. Goldstriker International is now offering Apple's iPhone dipped in 24 carat gold for your (even more) conspicuous consumption. The perfect accessory to your wife ornament and mojito while parked at the bar. The not so free-for-all begins mid-October for an undisclosed price.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Amosu's diamond-encrusted Nokia N95 tempts the affluent

by Darren Murph posted Oct 5th 2007 @ 4:43PM

Amosu's at it again, and while its £12,000 ($24,475) diamond-clad Nokia isn't the priciest handset we've ever seen, it's still more than most of our wallets can handle. This N95 is reportedly coated in 18-carat white gold and smothered with 325 diamonds totaling 3.3-carats. Furthermore, only ten of these beauties will ever be created, with each of them boasting its production number and having the ability to be customized to the customer's liking. If you're into this type of thing, and have absolutely nothing better to spend your cash on than a phone you'll never use, hit the read link and break the bank.

Amosu brings golden handsets for a price

by Sean Cooper posted Aug 23rd 2007 @ 10:41PM

Gilded, diamond-studded, or just plain ol' gem-encrusted handsets must be popular as Amosu has now pimped the LG Prada to new designer heights. We're not too finicky on 24K gold plated stuff, but if that type of shine floats your boat and you're willing to shell out £499 (roughly $1,000) then you're home. Also featured in the glittering store are the likes of the Nokia 8800 "Sirocco Edition," Sony Ericsson W880i, and even an iPod for good measure. To see more pics of garishly gilded goodies, just follow the yellow brick road link.

[Via Slashphone]

Gresso unveils Avantgarde collection, pricing

by Sean Cooper posted Aug 8th 2007 @ 1:51PM

Gresso's Avantgarde collection finally sees a release date, pricing, and some sketchy product info. Starting at only €5, 000 for the Luna (roughly $6, 900 dollars) or €7, 000 for the Sol (about $9, 700) your money'll get you a pretty slick looking handset crafted from African Blackwood, steel, and lots of gold. Both handsets run Windows Mobile ( the site is decidedly thin on specs) pack a 2 megapixel camera, and a 320 x 240 screen. Pretty simple stuff considering the money you have to fork out to pick one up and sadly without some diamond encrustation going on, we'll have to pass. Look for these to land in the 4th quarter this year.

[Via SlashPhone]