Luxury phones still ring loud

Mar 02, 2009 (Bangkok Post - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Vertu, the luxury handcrafted mobile phone company, remains optimistic about growth in the immediate future and projects higher sales this year despite the prevailing economic climate.

The UK-based manufacturer and retailer of super-premium mobile phones, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Finnish phone maker Nokia, has more than doubled its global sales over six years.

Linus Kee, Vertu's head of sales in Southeast Asia and Asia Pacific, said the company expected much higher growth this year, thanks to high demand among affluent consumers.

Since launching two models in the last two months, Vertu is currently unable to meet demand due to a buildup of orders and the time-consuming manufacturing process, he said.

Vertu appointed Everest World Co as its exclusive importer and distributor in Thailand in December under a five-year deal. Everest World replaces Master Phone Co, which was founded by Panthongtae Shinawatra, the son of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Everest World imports and distributes luxury products including clothes, leather goods, timepieces and high-end audio systems.

"We are moving aggressively to promote our products in the growing Thai upscale market this year as we realise the potential for luxury products here," Mr Kee said. "We expect high growth in the Kingdom this year." He said Vertu planned to expand into jewellery and watch retailing to extend its reach in luxury products.

The company last week launched two collections in Thailand, with four models that expand the total range to nine. The first collection includes Vertu Signature, priced at 1.186 million and 431,000 baht; and Vertu Ascent Ti Ferrari Nero, priced at 386,000 and 329,300 baht.

Rattaroj Sirikachaporn, assistant to the CEO of Everest World, said the company aimed to sell at least 200 units this year. Its luxury product sales had been affected only slightly by the downturn and that Vertu was expected to ensure a good performance this year.

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Vertu Constellation Pure collection announced

The manufacturer of luxury mobile phones Vertu announced its latest collection known as Vertu Constellation Pure which would be available in pure white, pure black, pure silver and pure chocolate.

The phone is made from steel, leather and ceramic materials and two years was put into crafting this elegant piece. The ceramic parts of the Vertu Collections are manufactured individually with a special built-tool.

This collection is inspired from a design based on the simplification of form. The major highlight is the innovative use of ceramics. The whole keypad as well as the earpiece is made out of ceramic materials and the backside of each key on the phone is coated to prevent diffusion of light.

The latest collection is hand built in England and each phone will be available in limited edition of 2500 pieces. The Pure White and Pure Black versions of the Constellation Pure collection will be available from March 1, 2009 and the Silver and Chocolate version will come in September 2009. Each of these master pieces will be priced approximately 6,800 EUR.

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Vertu sees room for growth for luxury cellphones

Vertu, the maker of luxury and handcrafted mobile phones, expects strong sales in the region this year, despite the economic downturn.

Linus Kee, Vertu's head of sales in Southeast Asia-Pacific, said yesterday that there is still room for expansion in Asia, one of the company's fastest growth markets.

Vertu, probably the world's most expensive cellphone, appointed luxury brand importer and distributor Everest World to be its local importer and distributor last December.

Its previous local distributor was Master Phone of Panthongtae Shinawatra, son of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Rattaroj Sirikachaporn, general manager of Everest World, said the company targets to sell some 200 Vertu this year. It has already stocked about 60 Vertu to be sold in Thailand.

The Vertu enhances the company's portfolio of luxury products, he said.

Besides affluent Thais, its major luxury-product customers are tourists from the Middle East, China and Russia.

Akradej Srichawla, CEO of Everest World, said the company's expertise in brand name product distribution among high-end consumers gives it confidence that it could make Vertu the first choice in mobile phones among hi-so's who love an exclusive and luxurious product.

Everest World has already marketed the Vertu Signature mobile phone collection, and also the limited edition Vertu Ascent Ti Ferrari Nero and special edition Vertu Ascent Ti Ferrari Rosso and Vertu Ascent Ti Ferrari Giallo.

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Luxury Vertu Constellation mobile phone gets even more bling

A Vertu Constellation luxury mobile phone has been further blinged by designer and jeweller Knalihs Athem, just to make the Vertu Constellation that much more expensive, not like it didn’t need it is it?

Athem’s latest work is called the Diamond Vertu Constellation Gold. So what do you get for your large wad of cash? Well the Diamond Vertu Constellation Gold is crafted in 18 carat gold and then encrusted with in excess of 1500 colourless brilliant cut diamonds.

Apparently to justify alleviating your bank account of a hug wad you get to customise the phone with your initial, a logo, lucky number and just about anything you’d like as long as you are willing to pay.

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Vertu Nurburgring Race Track Edition for sale on eBay

Ok, so how bad do you want a luxury mobile phone? How about one of Nokia’s Vertu phones for just over half price? Well it appears that a Vertu has shown up on that place where everything ends up eventually…eBay.

Apparently eBay seller “ouy kcuf” and I suggest you don’t read that backwards, states this Vertu Nurburgring Race Track Edition mobile phone is an authentic device.

Yes, right and we’ll all accept the seller’s name as given shall we? Anyway, there were only 1000 of these handsets made and this one which normally retails for over $8000 is up for $4599, but only in the US.

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Diamond Encrusted Vertu Constellation Gold phone released

Fans of the Vertu series of luxury mobile phones can now gear up for some more bling. Recently the company revealed a new super luxurious mobile phone called the Diamond encrusted Vertu Constellation Gold.

The phone is the work of art of luxury designer and jeweler Knalihs Anthem. The designer is known for creating unique bejeweled mobile phones. The designer keeps to his signature style with the innovation of this new elegant mobile phone.

The unique mobile phone has been crafted in 18 carat gold. Fabricated with great detailing and Swiss craftsmanship, the phone interestingly houses more than 1500 diamonds.

The diamonds chosen are of the finest quality and adorn a colorless brilliant cut. Precisely hand-finished to offer a beautiful device, the Diamond Encrusted Vertu Constellation Gold phone can also be customized.

Users can have their initials, logos, lucky number or any thing else they wish to be encrusted on the phone.

Besides, the phone also includes an official diamond grading report. Athem has custom designed a wide array of Vertu constellation mobile phones including Core Range, Precious Range, Monogram Range and the Rococo Range.

The Diamond Encrusted Vertu Constellation Gold phone is available now through authorized Vertu retailers. There is no information however on the price of the phone.

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Vertu open its first store in Japan

Vertu open its first store in Japan

Nokia’s luxury mobile phone brand Vertu has now opened its first retail store in the Japanese market.

Vertu would be selling their high end hand-crafted cell phones to customers in the Japanese market.

They are hoping to find customers for their expensive products even during these tough economic times.

This store has been opened in the Tokyo’s Ginza district. The mobile phones from Vertu are being offered at prices up to ¥6 million.

The company incidentally is also operating as a mobile service provider in the Japanese market through the MVNO route using NTT DoCoMo’s network.

Vertu said that they would be providing customized services to the customers who go for Vertu branded phones.

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Nokia opens first Vertu store in Japan

With the global economy the way it is right now you’d think releasing a premium-priced mobile phone store would be the last thing on manufacturer’s minds, but that is exactly what Nokia is doing.

The Finnish mobile phone company has opened its first Vertu retail store (otherwise known as “incredibly expensive phone shop”) for the Japanese market in Tokyo. The phones they will stock are clearly aimed at the top end of the market and will carry prices in the region of $64,000 each.

For that amount of cash you’d expect something special in a handset and Nokia make each phone by hand in the UK. The materials used in the casing of each phone include stainless steel, leather, or 18-carat gold. The keys are ceramic and they usually include a semi-precious stone somewhere in the design.

A Vertu phone purchase also comes with a substantial monthly subscription charge of $549. With that you get a number of tailored services including Vertu Concierge that allows owners to phone up and ask advice on travel, hotels, restaurants or entertainment. Vertu Fortress is also available to backup the information on your phone to secure servers located in an ex-military bunker in the UK.

Alongside the first Vertu shop Nokia is also trying to gain a network presence in Japan. Rather than attempting to do this alone it has instead decided to work as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) using the well established NTT DoCoMo network.

Read more at PC World

Matthew’s Opinion
This is a totally new approach to the Japanese market for Nokia. It was only in November last year it announced an exit from the standard handset market there. Now they are aiming specifically at the wealthy with hand-made phones.

The funny thing is, there are people out there who will buy these phones and pay that ridiculous monthly subscription charge. I’m sure Nokia will be doing deals to get their Vertu phones used in public by well-known Japanese celebrities, but that is just to sell more of these phones. The profit margins on them must be huge even taking into account the materials used in their manufacture.

I’d love to have enough money to be able to consider buying a Vertu phone and not feel the pain in my bank account, but that doesn’t mean I’d ever choose to spend so much on a handset.

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