luxury

So many obscenely priced gadgets, so little time. Some people might scoff at such purchases as a diamond-encrusted Shuffle, but we understand how difficult it can be to keep up with the Joneses (or Trumps) while being practical at the same time. How, for instance, does one protect a $20,000 media player? Enter the latest Louis Vuitton case, as seen on Sybarites.

Granted, this iPod case isn't designed specifically for the Shuffle, but something tells us that one could be made for the right price. Vuitton knows that its competitors are deep into this game, after all. In … Read more

The very best high-end systems don't have a sound per se, they sound like the music they're playing. That's the goal at least, and the $350,000 system I heard at Bill Parish's GTT Audio & Video shop in Long Valley, New Jersey, was one of the best ultra high-end systems I've heard. And I've heard a lot.

The wild looking MBL 101E Radialstrahler Reference speakers ($49,900/pair) employ utterly unique woofer, midrange, and tweeter technology to radiate sound with perfect, 360 degree dispersion. Sounds technical, but trust me you don't have … Read more

Nearly a year after its first sightings, the $130,000 "Yalos Diamond" TV may finally have some competition--at least in the Department of Gaudy (otherwise known as DOG).

Speaking of abbreviations, we didn't know that LG stood for "Luxury Gold," as it does in the case of this 24-carat monstrosity. True to its moniker, the home theater system includes a 71-inch LCD in full 1080p high definition, as well as receivers, media players and a 500-watt sound all trimmed and plated in real gold, according to Aving. It's truly obscene.

The price of the … Read more

I'll never forget the summer my best friend received a FryDaddy home deep fryer as a birthday gift. For several months, accepting an invitation to dinner at her house required a willingness to shave a few days off your life span, courtesy of the platefuls of deep-fried fill-in-the-blank that she offered up to guests.

If only she'd received an Actifry, the latest appliance from European kitchen goods maker Tefal (in the U.S., T-Fal), which the company claims will make fried foods a little bit healthier by removing most of the cooking fat. With one tablespoon of oil … Read more

There's only one thing that this luxurious pink Hummer H3 stretch limousine needs, and that's a nice fat Hello Kitty decal on the driver's side. Otherwise, this bubble-gum-hued vehicle is a fitting embodiment of all things obnoxious and opulent (obnoxulent?) and nauseatingly cute. Inside, it's equipped with pink-and-white leather seating and space-age lighting worthy of the flashiest nightclubs and an enviable bar--and mirrors on the ceiling (if you're into that degree of sketchiness).

There's also touch-screen heating and air conditioning control, four flat-screen TVs, a DVD player and multi-speaker sound system. There's no … Read more

Given the infinite sales spiels in the communications market, it's rare for companies to come up with a unique marketing approach. But we have to give props to Gresso, in the category of creativity if nothing else, for pitching "the intellectual mobile phone."

We're not exactly sure what makes its new "Avantgarde Collection" appropriate for rocket scientists. Nor are we sure that would be such a good thing, for it would seem to run counter to the universal ease-of-use goal. But most curious of all is why Gresso would feel to the need to … Read more

Generally, when we hear about London nightclubs stateside, it's because Prince Harry was spotted dancing on a table in a sarong or because some flashy playboy racked up a ridiculous tab. This time, however, it's a little bit different. The Camden Town boite Koko has introduced a new high-tech system to keep tabs on partygoers who leave the club for smoke breaks. Upon leaving the establishment, their fingerprints are scanned; they're then allowed seven minutes to enjoy their cigs, and then afterward must re-enter by re-scanning. Makes the bouncer's job a whole lot easier, I'm … Read more

Larry Ellison aside, those Middle Eastern businessmen sure do put Silicon Valley to shame when it comes to extravagant displays of opulence. Typically, we don't get names to accompany the tales of pimped-out Airbus A380s and the like, but generally the price tags speak for themselves. My favorite new "oh my gosh, I can't believe how much cash that guy spent" story was covered in the British press earlier this week: a band of partiers, led by an anonymous Dubai cash cow, spent a total of $210,000 at the posh London nightclub Crystal last Saturday … Read more

What do you get if you take a used armored vehicle and add a few kitchen appliances to it? Something like the "Tank Limo," perhaps.

It may be billed as a limousine, but it's kind of a cross between a chimney-equipped Hummer and the "Donk," with a little bit of Halo thrown in--hardly competition for the new Rolls Phantom, it might even take a back seat to the Whirlpool-equipped Mini Cooper (Maxi Cooper?) where luxury is concerned, anyway. (Red Ferret does say, however, that the Tank will be getting a Jacuzzi.)

Its own description says … Read more