crystal

Yeah, this is exactly what we'd want to do: Shell out a couple grand to get a MacBook Air for its sleek, minimalist design, then immediately send it off to get an atrocious custom job that would stick 8,000 Swarovski crystals on it for hundreds of dollars more, as seen on Engadget.

Moreover, as if the aesthetic offense weren't enough--and trust us, it is--this special treatment would reportedly add a half-pound to the Air's weight and 1/8th of an inch to its thickness, alterations that would seem to defeat the purpose of the ultra-thin laptop … Read more

With Jeff Bakalar on Valentine's Day workout recovery, Dan Frommer of Silicon Alley Insider fame joins us in studio to talk about Microsoft's after school special program to stop kids from pirating, the Xbox 360's high failure rate, plus Indiana Jones 4's trailer hits the Interwebs, and please...oh please for the love of God...do not see Jumper.

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We aren't sure why Nokia's product announcements are coming in dribs and drabs these days, but here's one that's more on the drab side. The 7900 Crystal Prism doesn't have anything extraordinary to offer, and the only reason anyone would get this instead of the earlier 7900 Prism is the sapphire crystal center key. Although the back cover and wallpapers are said to be designed by avant-garde artist Fr?d?rique Daubal, it still doesn't make up for the oddity of the triangular keys.

While we applaud Nokia for pushing the design envelope, there'… Read more

Philips has announced plans to release a line of Swarovski crystal earbuds, available just in time for Valentine's Day. Priced at $99, the Philips Active Crystals earbuds feature a stainless steel body, fabric cable, silicon in-ear caps, and single neodymium drivers with a 16 ohm impedance.

The Active Crystal earbuds are part of Philips' larger launch of women-focused products, including crystal-studded USB drives and home electronics that feature a softer, more elegant design aesthetic.

Dell isn't exactly known for its cutting-edge fashion, but it's definitely creating a buzz for the New Year with its "Crystal LCD" monitor. To look at the flash ad on Dell's site, you'd think it was a new Mercedes that was being rolled out.

First impressions seem to be somewhat mixed, as Boing Boing and others have criticized this museum piece as being all about show and short on specs, notably its size and resolution (22 inches, 1,680x1,050). And Dell is baiting the detractors by adorning it with a price tag of $… Read more

For every elegant phone design it seems that there are hundreds of bad ones. If you have any doubt, just take a look at the prolific work of Crystal Icing.

Just as it did with the iPhone a few months ago, this bling service has victimized T-Mobile's Sidekick with a customized version that Luxist says is "covered in amber, 24k gold and dipped Swarovski crystals." The "Signature Limited Edition LUX Sidekick" even comes with its own cleaning kit, which probably isn't a bad idea by the looks of this heavily encrusted monstrosity. However, we'… Read more

This memorable pair of bejeweled DJ headphones first appeared on Crave nearly a year ago, though that version had only clear crystals. The updated set shown here, however, was created with pink amethyst stones specifically for the 2007 Swarovski Fashion Rocks U.K. event for the Prince's Trust charity, according to BornRich. And we're happy to report that the headphones have actually come down in price--from to $2,400 from the original $2,500. Or maybe that's only with a coupon.

Well, that should teach us. Just minutes after making sport of Swarovski, we came across yet another another category of products that the infectious crystals are attacking: computer screens.

ViewSonic, a respectable manufacturer, has apparently succumbed to market madness by allowing customers to "beautify and customize" their LCDs with "original Swarovski crystals," according to PCLaunches. (As opposed to unoriginal ones?) And you can scream bad taste in grand fashion with a full 22-inch widescreen with 1680x1050 resolution. But you might have to wear sunglasses to cut down on the crystal reflection.