TFTS - Technology, Gadgets & Curiosities » TechnoLust

Sound Carrier 300 B Delivers Audio Perfection [Double-C Core Transformers, Mundorf Silver Gold Oil Coupling Capacitors, Outrageous Price Tag]

Robert Lesher — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:38:10 +0000

I can never get enough of those super outrageous stereo systems priced out of the reach of almost everyone in the world. They may have amazing sound quality (although that’s debatable and completely subjective) and unusual materials of construction, I hardly think that paying tens of thousands of dollars for any stereo system is a reasonable exercise. Actually, it should qualify one as certifiable. But, that doesn’t stop the fun of writing about systems like the Sound Carrier 300B, tapestry-lined hardwood case and all. (...)
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Acoustic Preference Gracioso Speakers [Solid Wood Luxury Speakers From Slovenia]

Robert Lesher — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:47:45 +0000

If you’re anything like me you really love your music. The thought of pumping your tunes through anything but the best when it comes to hardware sends chills up and down your spine. The market for high-end speaker systems has certainly not been slowed by the dragging economy and Slovenian speaker manufacturers Acoustic Preference are here to showcase their latest and greatest, the Gracioso line of luxury speakers. (...)
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$68,500 Illuminator Series Speakers by SGR [Floor-Based 8000-W Monsters]

Robert Lesher — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:04:50 +0000

The world of the ultra-high end speakers has seemingly made it through the economic douwnturn nearly unscathed. There is apparently still a market for ridiculously expensive electronics and the folks at Australia’s SGR Audio are thumbing their noses at convention with their latest product offering, the Illuminator floor speakers. (...)
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Pantel 65-in Weatherproof HDTV [Giant Hi-Def Screen for Rich Outdoor Gamers]

Robert Lesher — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:52:35 +0000

Are you saddled with both a tremendous amount of disposable income and a need to play your video games outside? If this describes you, we have just the thing. Pantel, one of the world’s leading authorities on outdoor, weatherproof HDTVs, now offers gamers an exciting alternative to being indoors all summer. The super-huge 65-in HDTV offers a 5ms refresh rate and a protective anti-glare glass screen. The Pantel outdoor LCD HDTVs can be used inside or outside and are designed specifically for easy outside viewing in the mid-day sun. (...)
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URWERK UR-CC1 King Cobra Watch [Amazing Speedometer-Inspired Design Will Have you Drooling]

Robert Lesher — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:12:33 +0000

Watches are definitely a fashion statement. Just like you can tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wear, a watch can certainly be an indicator of cool as well. When I laid eyes upon the latest creation of hyper-chic watchmakers, URWERK, I was floored. The URWERK UR-CCI, or King Cobra as it’s known in the timepiece trade, is every bit the head turner. It was supposedly inspired by some kind of 1960s speedometer and it is the perfect combination of technology and testosterone laden design elements. (...)
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Skyworks 2-Stage Ultra Low Noise Amplifiers [Low Noise Amplifiers with High Linearity]

Alex Ion — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:21:21 +0000

Skyworks have just introduced their new 2-Stage ultra low noise amplifiers (LNA) with high linearity performance and advanced pHEMT technology. Small and cost-effective solutions meant for GPS systems, satellite digital audio radio services, WCDMA and LTE infrastructure platforms, the amplifiers offer “high performance under 0.7 dB while providing high linearity amplification with OIP3 up to 35 dBm”.

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Heyerdahl Nokia N8800 Diamond Limited Edition Cell Phone [Diamond Encrusted Nokia N8800 Arte Gets Bling Appeal]

Andrew Tingle — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:52:07 +0000

Norwegian jewellers Thomas Heyerdahl have unveiled their latest creation, following on in the footsteps of previous creations such as their diamond encrusted iPod Shuffle, in the form of the Nokia N8800 Diamond which serves to transform a standard Nokia N8800 Arte into a strictly limited edition handset with serious bling appeal and, accordingly, a somewhat substantial price tag.

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Breathtaking iRiver Life Unit Multi Media Hub

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 22:20:21 +0000

Regular readers of TFTS will know that we have a great deal of respect for iRiver, primarily due to the fact that, whilst so many of its rivals are so busy clambering to mimic Sony’s dictum on style (often merely producing pale, lacklustre imitations), iRiver are not afraid to create a style that is undoubtedly and unequivocally their very own.

And if anyone needed convincing, iRiver have now announced its Life Unit Multi Media Hub and, as we are sure you’ll agree, it’s nothing short of breathtaking.

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JVC 110 Inch HDTV – The Worlds Largest Consumer Television

Andrew Tingle — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 20:19:40 +0000

When it comes to television sets, big is good, bigger is best and absolutely colossal means that you can just about get it through the front door of your house. And colossal is certainly an apt word to use to describe this monstrously large television set just unveiled by JVC.

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The Seriously Bling Mii Stor Ice Flash Drive

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 21:51:05 +0000

We’ve previously featured various USB memory sticks on Thoughts from the Sidelines, all of which have been fairly wacky in design and none of which can even be vaguely compared to the Ice USB fob produced by the UK based company Mii Stor. But this is by no means any ordinary device.

So, what sets this memory stick apart from the crowd? Could it be the 4GB capacity or perhaps it’s the fact that comes with a chain long enough to allow it to be worn around the neck like an item of jewellery? No, I think not. Could it be the fact that the aforementioned chain is crafted from solid platinum whereas the drive itself is not only fashioned from platinum but is also encrusted with 350 finely cut white diamonds, weighing in at a combined total of 5.8 carats?

Yes, I think that might be it.

No word on pricing, but does Sir need to ask?

[Source]

TechnoLust – The Otazu Ego Diamond Notebook

Andrew Tingle — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 22:41:40 +0000

Whilst desktop PC’s seem to be undergoing somewhat of an image overhaul of late, on the whole it would be true to say that the design of laptop computers can be fairly dull, however this is certainly not the case as far as the Ego Diamond is concerned.

That said, design like this comes at a premium and with the renowned Dutch jewellery maker Rodrigo Otazu (who has designed jewellery for the likes of Britney Spears and Kelis) being directly involved in the Ego Diamond’s design, you just know that the premium is going to be nothing short of rather spectacular.

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The Luxor – The Ultimate Bath?

Andrew Tingle — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 23:53:27 +0000

If we were to compare cars to baths then I am afraid to say that we very much have the Trabant of the bath world. Yes, it’s functional, but only in as much as it contains water reasonably well, but that’s about it. And, though we tried hanging a set of fury dice from the taps in a bid to spruce it up a little, it was to no avail. The dice have subsequently taken us to an employment tribunal and won on the basis that they found the entire experience wholly demeaning. One even threatened dice suicide.

On the other hand, the Luxor from Di Vapor must surely be considered to be the Rolls Royce of the bath world – luxurious, capacious (those who enter without a GPS device may never be seen again) and obscenely expensive.

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TechnoLust – The World’s Most Expensive LCD TV

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 20:53:33 +0000

Following on from the likes of the i.Beat Organix Gold MP3 player, costing a cool £13,600, and the £160,000 Black Diamond mobile phone, the latest highly desirable piece of technology to feature in Thoughts from the Sidelines’ TechnoLust category is the rather fetching Yalos “Diamonds” LCD TV.

Created by the Italian company Keymat Industrie with input from Japanese designer Takahide Sano, this seriously bling 40 inch LCD TV boasts no less than a full 20 carats worth of diamonds embedded in white gold on the screen’s tempered crystal surround as well as two tuners and is, of course, is fully HDTV compliant.

However, as you would expect, it carries a serious price tag.

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The Black Box Touchscreen Phone

Andrew Tingle — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 22:52:18 +0000

Although we have featured a few mobile phones on Thoughts from the Sidelines which have boasted particularly stunning designs, this phone, which is presently only a concept, is a definite head-turner in its own right. And, personally, if this was available on the high street I would be certainly one of the first in the queue.

Referred to as the Black Box, the entire front surface of the phone comprises of a touchscreen that dynamically adapts to the mode required. If you want to make a call, a keypad is displayed, if you want to take a photograph the entire face of the phone becomes a viewfinder.

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TechnoLust – The Credit Card Mobile Phone

Andrew Tingle — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 01:10:07 +0000

Of late, mobile phone design has branched off into two distinct factions. On the one hand you have phones that are trying, with great success, to encompass more and more of the attributes of PDAs and digital cameras within a single, versatile unit and, on the other hand, you have phones that, whilst not as feature packed are pushing technology in a differing direction by trying to become increasingly smaller.

The Samsung P310, in becoming one of the world’s thinnest mobiles (the X828 is actually the thinnest phone in the world – see below), certainly falls into the latter category though not at the expense of an impressive range of features.

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TechnoLust – The Worlds Most Expensive Cell Phone

Andrew Tingle — Sat, 16 Sep 2006 18:36:39 +0000

Previously we have featured the Black Diamond in this TechnoLust section which, though far from cheap at £160,000 ($300,000 USD), frankly looks like a cheap giveaway in comparison to the Goldvish Piece Unique. In fact, this phone is so expensive that the manufactures even go so far as to recommend a particular car that, they feel, would compliment the most expensive phone in the world admirably.

If I tell you that the car they name is none other than the Bugatti Veyron, then perhaps you’ll get the picture.

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The Digital Photo Frame

Andrew Tingle — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 17:28:24 +0000

The third entry in the Thoughts from the Sidelines TechnoLust category is the Phillips 7FF1AW Digital Photo Display, which is a marvellous piece of kit. And I talk from experience, as I am lucky enough to own one.

If you want your digital pictures displayed in your house, this digital picture frame is ideal, though a slight drawback is that, rather than look at and comment on the pictures it happens to be showing, people have a tendency to look at the frame itself and comment on the gadget itself. This can be annoying if you have tried to display photos that you consider to be, well, rather good. Such is life.

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Fold Out Portable DVD Player

Andrew Tingle — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 15:52:48 +0000

If there is one trend in modern technology it is to produce items offering greater functionality at increasingly smaller sizes, and this fold out DVD player fits the bit perfectly.

Presently only at the concept stage – so pricing is unknown, this DVD player offers the ultimate in portable DVD systems. Encased in a small metal container that is barely larger than a DVD disk, the Origami DVD player snaps open to reveal a fold out screen based on e-paper technologies, as developed by Mag-Ink – a technology company based in Israel.

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TechnoLust – The Black Diamond

Andrew Tingle — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 23:33:46 +0000

Following on from our first ever entry in the TechnoLust hall of fame – the i.Beat Organix Gold MP3 player – the second entry in this series has a style that is far more in lines with my admittedly conservative tastes though, at the stated price, I cannot envisage ever actually seeing one of these “in the flesh”.

The Black Diamond from VIPN is a mobile phone with a style that can’t fail to impress, but such jaw-dropping style invariably never comes at anything other than a jaw-dropping price and, in that respect also, the Black Diamond fails to disappoint.

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TechnoLust – The World’s Most Expensive MP3 Player

Andrew Tingle — Mon, 28 Aug 2006 12:23:09 +0000

The first entry in Thoughts from the Sidelines’ TechnoLust section is the world’s most expensive MP3 player – the i.Beat Organix Gold by TrekStor. Costing a cool £13,600, its shell is composed of 18-carat gold set with a total of 63 one caret diamonds (taking the jewellers over 100 man hours to construct).

Initially designed following a personal commission from the Russian-Canadian billionaire, Alex Shnaider – who also happens to be the owner of the Midland Formula One team – the player offers one gigabyte of memory, which is roughly equivalent to 240 tracks, as well as a host of other high-level features.

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