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It's not going to be any better, but if you'd like to spend $20k on a phone, Vertu still seems to be around peddling crocodile skin phones encrusted with diamon

It's not going to be any better, but if you'd like to spend $20k on a phone, Vertu still seems to be around peddling crocodile skin phones encrusted with diamonds etc. https://www.vertu.com/collections/aster-p https://www.vertu.com/collections/aster-p The gullwing titanium SIM card slots are straight out of Silicon Valley. There's even a Gavin Belson-worthy signature! https://www.vertu.com/products/aster-p-ti-black-rococo-himalaya-crocodile-bes-fee https://www.vertu.com/products/aster-p-ti-black-rococo-himal... And tying neatly back to the original article, it seems these things are running a 2017-vintage fork of Android 8.1 called "Luxury OS".

manquer 4y ago
These are real world equivalent of game skins . You don’t get any actual advantage from them , it is all cosmetic. Your flagship $1500 phone which is within the reach of the many people has the same or better specs than that.
jl6 4y ago
I am reminded of: “The main trade that was carried out was in the skins of the NowWhattian boghog but it wasn’t a very successful one because no one in their right minds would want to buy a NowWhattian boghog skin. The trade only hung on by its fingernails because there was always a significant number of people in the Galaxy who were not in their right minds.” - Douglas Adams in Mostly Harmless.
coffee_beqn 4y ago
At least you get a crappy android now. Not too long ago they were peddling gold encrusted dumbphones as some kind of a tasteless luxury item Edit: they still have those too https://www.vertu.com/products/signature-v-black-gold-diamond-iron-black-alligator https://www.vertu.com/products/signature-v-black-gold-diamon...
Tsiklon 4y ago
I'm shocked that Vertu are still about - that said there's a classic idiom "money can't buy taste". The aesthetic of Vertu's devices is just so gauche, I'd imagine the traditional Coutts customer would abhor it.

manquer 4y ago

These are real world equivalent of game skins . You don’t get any actual advantage from them , it is all cosmetic. Your flagship $1500 phone which is within the reach of the many people has the same or better specs than that.

jl6 4y ago

I am reminded of: “The main trade that was carried out was in the skins of the NowWhattian boghog but it wasn’t a very successful one because no one in their right minds would want to buy a NowWhattian boghog skin. The trade only hung on by its fingernails because there was always a significant number of people in the Galaxy who were not in their right minds.” - Douglas Adams in Mostly Harmless.

coffee_beqn 4y ago

At least you get a crappy android now. Not too long ago they were peddling gold encrusted dumbphones as some kind of a tasteless luxury item Edit: they still have those too https://www.vertu.com/products/signature-v-black-gold-diamond-iron-black-alligator https://www.vertu.com/products/signature-v-black-gold-diamon...

Tsiklon 4y ago

I'm shocked that Vertu are still about - that said there's a classic idiom "money can't buy taste". The aesthetic of Vertu's devices is just so gauche, I'd imagine the traditional Coutts customer would abhor it.