Sunday, October 6, 2013

Vertu TI now available in red or blue limited editions, only 1,000 of each made

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Vertu TI now available in red or blue limited editions, only 1,000 of each made

It's been almost half a year since Vertu launched its first-ever Android phone, the TI, and now the company's decided to throw in a couple of limited editions to lure the big spenders. As pictured above, the new Vertu TI Colours collection is wrapped in either "Sunset Red" or "Midnight Blue" calf leather, and only 1,000 units are made for each color. As per typical Vertu style, there's a unique number etched on the back to indicate which of the 1,000 units yours is.

The rest of this hand-crafted, matt grey titanium phone remains unchanged otherwise, namely its 3.7-inch tough sapphire screen, Android 4.0, 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4, 64GB storage plus an 8-megapixel camera. And of course, the phone still comes with the famed Vertu Concierge, a "100 percent independent" service that CEO Perry Oosting is very proud of. To join this exclusive club, you'll have to somehow fork out a whopping HK$90,000 or €8,900 (about US$11,700) -- just a tad more expensive than the TI Titanium Pure Black edition, but also more flamboyant. This author already spotted these new phones at Vertu's Hong Kong Airport store, and he's currently accepting donations.

Show full PR text

VERTU ADDS LIMITED EDITION VERTU TI COLOURS TO ITS RANGE

• Vertu is extending its Vertu Ti smartphone collection with two limited edition models; Sunset Red and Midnight Blue
• Made from grade 5 Titanium, Vertu Ti delivers strength and optimised weight

Hong Kong - Vertu, the world's leading manufacturer of high-end of luxury mobile phones, has launched VERTU Ti Colours, a limited edition collection of Vertu Ti. A contemporary smartphone, Vertu Ti is based around a matt grey titanium case used for enhanced strength, elegance and low weight. The handset is around five times stronger than other smart phones.

Integral to the Colours collection' design is the finest calf leather available in either sunset red or midnight blue leather and featuring embossed detail on the grain.

The Vertu Ti boasts a sapphire crystal screen which at 3.7 inches is the largest ever engineered. It is virtually scratch-proof and is four times stronger than the screens of other smart phones in terms of impact resistance. The result is an impeccably well-built, durable and beautifully hand-crafted phone.

Vertu Ti Colours is powered by the Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, which, in combination with the devices 1.7 GHz processor, makes for an intuitive, reactive and enjoyable experience. Other features include an 8MP rear camera with auto focus and twin LED flash, a 1.3MP front facing Skype compliant camera, 64GB internal memory and secure near field communication technology.

Another example of Vertu's continued commitment to superior craftsmanship and engineering is Vertu Ti Colours' audio ability. Its 11 x 15 mm rectangular drivers are acoustically integrated into the chassis to maximize frequency response and level. The result is an unrivalled symphonic sound from the phones own stereo speakers.

Another notable feature of Vertu Ti Colours is the Vertu key, providing instant access to a curated world of benefits and services via a global team of professionals available 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. These services include Vertu Certainty which protects the device, data and where necessary, the owner, Vertu Life which provides tailored information, articles and benefit to interest and empower the customer and of course Vertu's famous Concierge Service.

Each Vertu Ti is handmade in England by a single craftsman at Vertu's state-of-the-art headquarters, in Hampshire. On completion of a rigorous testing and detailing process the signature of the craftsman who assembled it is engraved on the inside of the phone, before it is shipped to one of Vertu's luxury retailers around the world for our customers to enjoy.

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The After Math: Samsung's big Premiere and Instagram's video debut

The After Math: Samsung's big Premiere and Instagram's video debut data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20630494' !== '') ? 'bsd:20630494' : ''; var postID = '20630494'; var modalMNo = '93319229', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"laptops",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"mat-smith", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-14d",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93319229", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93308280", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});The After Math: Samsung's big Premiere and Instagram's video debutBypostedJun 23rd, 2013 at 2:00 PM 0

Welcome to The After Math, where we attempt to summarize this week's tech news through numbers, decimal places and percentages.

The After Math Samsung's big Premiere event and Instagram dabbles with video

This week's been arguably less hectic than the last, but both Samsung and Facebook decided to up the tempo on Thursday. The Korean hardware maker announced a stack of new hardware, from tablets to cameras to desktop PCs, while Facebook's Instagram went toe to toe with Twitter's Vine, announcing a new video-sharing feature. On the very same day, Tesla had something to show, deftly switching batteries on its Model S faster than you'd be able to fill a gas tank. There were, however, six other days to the week, and we've pored over all of them for this week's numeros.

New products announced at Samsung's Premiere 2013: 6New products announced by Samsung in the last three months: 18Operating systems on Samsung's versatile ATIV Q: 2Functional positions for the ATIV Q: 4Cold startup time on Samsung's new ATIV Book 9 Plus: less than 6 secondsSeconds taken to swap out batteries on a Tesla Model S at its new service stations: 90Length of video clips on Instagram: 15 seconds

Video length on Vine: around 6.5 secondsInstagram video uploads in its first 24 hours: 5 millionFinal score of Game Seven, San Antonio Spurs vs. Miami Heat (where Instagram video uploads spiked): 88-95Years since NEC launched a phone in the US: 8 yearsSmartphones that feature a liquid-cooled processor: 1 (by NEC)Total value of Apple's iPad contract with LA schools: $30 millionNumber of tablets the deal will provide: 31,000Number of students in Los Angeles Unified School District: 640,000Hypothetical number of tablets that money could buy, priced at $678 each: 45,000 when.eng("eng.perm.init")

Switched On: Touchy subjects

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Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

DNP Switched On Touchy subjects

In 2002, the first LCD-based iMac succeeded the translucent PowerPC G3-based models that the original Bondi Blue iMac begat. The new generation was much more striking than the one that had placed Apple on the comeback trail. The iMac G4 mounted the display on a balanced arm similar to a Luxo lamp while the motherboard resided in a hemispherical base. This allowed the display to be adjusted to a wide range of heights and angles and each of the two main sections to be "true to itself."

Alas, the design had its limits. It's difficult to imagine today's ample 27-inch iMac displays balancing off such a mount. Furthermore, after the switch to Intel, processor thermals improved to help enable the slim iMac of today. The idea of efforts being true to themselves (at least until nearly compromise-free convergence is possible), however, has stayed a hallmark of Apple. For example, the company would resist adding video to the iPod for years after competitors had the feature.

These days, Apple and Microsoft are preaching messages to developers that have much in common: touch, tablets and app stores. However, their central difference comes down to whether the touch experience can be reconciled with the keyboard-and-mouse experience. Apple takes the stance that it cannot while Microsoft says it can, at least transitionally.

But just as Apple learned to bring together the placement of computing and display in the iMac, and video and audio in the iPod, might it one day reconcile the main user interface models of OS X and iOS? Even Steve Jobs once acknowledged the potential as at least an R&D project. But such a move surely wouldn't come any time soon. Tim Cook, referencing the folly of combining a toaster and a refrigerator, has said the company has no plans to make such a converged device. And after the addition of iPad-like full-screen apps and the Launchpad in Lion, Apple seemed to back off a bit on the iPadification of Mac OS in Mountain Lion.

Switched On Touchy subjects

Meanwhile, one need only look at the implementation of the Start button in Windows 8.1 to see that Microsoft is pushing forward on its Modern touch interface on the PC even as it softens the transition. In contrast, at WWDC Apple showed a resolve to maintain separately optimized interfaces between OS X and iOS. It also focused the former OS on tasks that deal with the kinds of files and information management that are all but alien to the iPad.

Features such as tags, Finder tabs and enhancement of multiple-monitor support to the point where there is now no longer such a thing as a primary display will have great appeal to power users. They show there is a future for the traditional desktop interface, one that -- if Apple's rationale for a naming-convention change holds true -- the company expects to be around for the next 10 years.

Apple seems determined not to turn the Mac into an iPad or vice versa. Microsoft may be missing opportunities to enhance the traditional desktop experience. On the other hand, the iPad may be caught in the middle of Apple's line in the sand. Features such as Microsoft's expansion of multiple apps sharing a screen in Windows can make a meaningful impact versus an iPad. Perhaps Apple's opening up of multitasking in iOS 7 will serve as a prelude for such future functionality. But it will take years before we will be able to know which company made the right bet in where touch belongs, even if it comes at the expense of desktop precision.


Ross Rubin is principal analyst at Reticle Research, a research and advisory firm focusing on consumer technology adoption. He shares commentary at Techspressive and on Twitter at @rossrubin. when.eng("eng.perm.init")

How would you change ASUS' Zenbook Prime UX31a?

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DNP ASUS Zenbook Prime UX31A an Ultrabook with a topnotch display

To paraphrase the words of our reviewer, ASUS' Zenbook Prime UX31A is the third-best thin and light laptop you can buy. That's high praise indeed when the only two superior devices are the MacBook Air and Samsung's Series 9. So, why does it deserve such love? That's probably down to its sleek design, six-hour battery life and smooth performance. The only things it has in the "demerit" column is a wonky trackpad and weak audio, but we can forgive that, can't we? No, this is How Would You Change, which means we want to know exactly that: what, if you've owned one of these units, would you change about it?

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The Weekly Roundup for 06.17.2013

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You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.

The Weekly Roundup for 12032012

Facebook announces Video on Instagram

With recent moves to add hashtag support, verified Pages, comments with inline photo embeds and more, it appears that Facebook is ready to take on competing social networks. It should come as no surprise to us, then, that it's putting its acquisition of Instagram to good use by introducing a service -- aptly called Video on Instagram --that rivals Vine, a similar service now owned by Twitter.

Google challenges FISA court on government data requests

Google and other companies have already made general calls for more transparency in the wake of the PRISM revelations, and it looks like Mountain View is now escalating those requests to a court challenge. As The Washington Post reports, Google is asking the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court for some additional leeway with the government requests for data that it's able to disclose, and it's citing the First Amendment to make its case.

Apple releases statement on customer privacy

Following the likes of Microsoft and Facebook, Apple has publicly responded to the explosion of interest in the NSA's PRISM program, and has been authorized to reveal some of the data on what it's shared with the US government in the past. The company says it has "always placed a priority on protecting our customers' personal data," and its legal team evaluates each request.

GEAK Watch packs Android, WiFi and a plethora of sensors

Simply dubbed the GEAK Watch, this wearable device packs a surprising number of components, with the most notable one being the 802.11b/g/n WiFi module. All features considered, this smartwatch honestly sounds too good to be true, and it's only priced at just ¥1,999 or about $330.

You also might like:Samsung Galaxy NX mirrorless camera: hands-on with an Android ILC (video)Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini hands-on (video)HTC Butterfly s revealed: 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, UltraPixel camera sensor (video) when.eng("eng.perm.init")

Inhabitat's Week in Green: flying bicycle, tattooed fruits and a wireless EV-charging system

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Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.

DNP Inhabitat's Week in Green TKTKTK

This week, the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar -- the world's largest solar-powered boat -- docked in downtown Manhattan, and Inhabitat was on the scene to tour the 115-foot Swiss catamaran and learn about its latest trans-Atlantic voyage. The PlanetSolar team isn't the only one pioneering new technologies, though. Google announced plans to deploy fleets of solar-powered balloons to bring the internet to remote locations around the world. A pair of British men debuted the world's first flying bicycle, which combines a bike with a fan-powered paraglider. A 16-year-old developed a cleaner, more efficient way to create biofuel from algae, and Coca-Cola produced a classic Coke bottle that's made entirely from ice that melts away when you're finished with it.

It seems like every week Tesla has a new announcement or unveiling, and this week was no exception, as Tesla demonstrated a system that can swap a depleted Model S battery for a fully charged one in 90 seconds. In other green transportation news, Nissan unveiled the world's fastest electric racing car and Moto Electra set a new record by driving an electric motorcycle across the US in just three days. French EV car-sharing service Autolib announced that it would expand to the US with a 500-vehicle program in Indianapolis. And Bosch teamed up with Evatran to launch a wireless electric vehicle-charging system that could become the first commercially available wireless EV charger in the US.

In a move that's sure to shake up the 3D-printing landscape, MakerBot was acquired by Stratasys in a $400 million deal. Scientists at MIT figured out a way to produce 3D-printed artificial bone that is just as lightweight and durable as the real thing. A pair of architects will unveil the world's first full-size 3D-printed room next month, scientists from Harvard and the University of Illinois managed to 3D print a lithium-ion battery that's about the size of a grain of sand and Biomimicry 3.8 co-founder Janine Benyus explained why she believes biomimicry is the key to a green 3d-printing revolution.

In other green design news, Inhabitat profiled SkinVision, a mobile app that uses your smartphone's camera to detect skin cancer. The EU approved the use of laser tattoos on fruits as a replacement for those annoying little sticky labels. A UC Davis scientist developed a new type of waterproof fabric that drains away sweat, while researchers discovered the secret behind super-durable ancient Roman concrete by studying a 2,000-year-old breakwater in the Mediterranean. Inhabitat profiled Budapest-based company Vinylize, which uses a laser cutter to craft old vinyl records into stylish glasses frames. And to keep your battery from running out while you're away from home, AT&T and Goal Zero rolled out a solar-powered cellphone-charging station pilot program at Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn.

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