luxury

It seems like everything under the sun is getting the Swarovski crystal treatment. Back in February, we introduced you to the top five Swarovski disasters, which included phones, radios, and even a whole piano covered in the stuff. Now you can add light switches to the list of useless abominations sprinkled with Swarovskis.

This time around, Berker Switches and Systems has teamed with Swarovski to present the "Crystal Collection." Why would you settle for a boring old plastic switch when you can get a large, multi-faceted Swarovski-cut crystal instead?

OK, the technology behind the light switch is actually … Read more

One of the most buzzed-about new laptops of 2009 is Dell's Adamo, a high-end, ultrathin 13-inch model that starts at $1,999 and shares a design sensibility with the MacBook Air and the HP Voodoo Envy 133.

After teasing the system at CES 2009, Dell formally announced its online availability starting March 17, and we've managed to get our hands on a preproduction version of the hardware to bring you our initial impressions.

At first glance, the Adamo, is a stark break from Dell's recent laptop designs, built into an aluminum case with unibody construction, similar to the current MacBooks. The model we have is black (Dell calls it "onyx") and a white "pearl" version is also available. The back of the lid and the keyboard tray are split between brushed metal and a fingerprint-attracting glossy finish.

About 0.65 inch thick, Dell claims this is the thinnest laptop in the world. It's certainly thin, but going toe-to-toe with the MacBook Air, the true "thinnest" title is open to interpretation. The tapered Air is thinner at its narrowest point, but slightly thicker at its widest point. In either case these are both very slim systems.

Picking up the Adamo, we were surprised at how heavy it felt. At a hair under 4 pounds, it's certainly lightweight, but based on the size, we were expecting something closer to the 3-pound MacBook Air.

Dell is pitching the Adamo as a "luxury brand notebook design for the luxury conscious consumer," which may not seem like the most timely of ideas, considering the current economic climate and the resultant growth in low-cost Netbooks. While the timing may be unfortunate, products such as this generally have long, multiyear production cycles, from concept to release. … Read more

Meet the new Blackberry "Tellor" edition, a limited-release version of the popular Bold smartphone. 205 ridiculously shiny diamonds are impeccably laced onto the bottom panel below the keyboard (QWERTY and AZERTY models available), and you can even bedazzle it with extra flair, including Celtic crosses, inlaid initials, and ostrich/stingray/lizard/alligator skins.

If you have any desire to get your hands on one of these, we suggest you set up your lemonade stand now--they're only making 50 units, and there's no word on pricing...yet.

Reading The Wall Street Journal on Friday, I was struck by an article detailing the changing fortunes of luxury goods manufacturers like Burberry and Emanuel Ungaro, and how much they mirror those of enterprise software vendors. Recent discounting by luxury goods companies has led once-loyal customers to question the price tags they once resolutely paid:

...[M]any fashion-industry veterans believe last fall's steep discounting of European designer goods by 70% or more did lasting damage to the perception of luxury. People now feel like they were ripped off by high prices all along--and they are vowing never to pay … Read more

When Motorola announced the Aura last October, we were intrigued from the start, even though it was clear that the Aura was all about its design.

Luckily, CES provided the first chance to get up close and personal with the Aura. Normally, manufactures keep cell phones that cost $1,999 safely behind glass at trade shows. But to our surprise, Moto was eager to let us get our grubby hands on the Aura. And from what we can tell, the device is just as attractive in the flesh. Its overall shape may not be for everyone, but it will stand … Read more

Does the average Joe Six-Pack reader of Car and Driver magazine ever think he's going to buy a Ferrari or Lamborghini? Probably not, so why are most car magazine covers graced with only the most exotic rides?

The New York Times readership may be an upscale group, but I doubt too many of them are buyers of $26,500 Hermes Sable-and-Crocodile Kelly Muffs or $23,155 Yves Saint Laurent sweaters embroidered by Lesage. Especially nowadays, shouldn't the Times (Sunday) Magazine be running lavish spreads of affordable clothes? No, that would be boring!

Let's face it, uber goods … Read more

DANA POINT, Calif.--When the economy heads south, anything involving beaches and luxury resorts is a terrific recipe for guaranteed bad press.

That's why there was a fine line to be walked at the WebbyConnect conference, the second annual retreat-slash-ideafest organized by the directors of the annual Webby Awards. In the diverse vegetable patch of media conferences, this one is the organic arugula. The venue was the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel resort, a sprawling beachfront complex and occasional filming spot for MTV's haute-reality soap Laguna Beach, just down the road from the St. Regis hotel where American International Group … Read more

Motorola thumbed its nose at the shaky economy Tuesday when it introduced a high-end luxury cell phone called the Aura. Sporting a swivel design reminiscent of the Motorola V70 (now there's a blast from the past), the Aura features a range of unique and posh design touches.

The display supports 16 million colors and a 300dpi resolution; the skin is stainless steel and shows a textured pattern (it takes two weeks to make sculpt, etch, and polish says Moto!); the lens is made from 1.62-carat sapphire crystal; the gears are tungsten carbide coated; the finish has a mirror … Read more

Glam Media, that digital-ad company that keeps expanding beyond its original base of celebrity gossip and fashion, has launched a new section: Glam Luxury, targeting high-end brand enthusiasts and the ad dollars that love them.

At launch, the headlining advertiser is (you guessed it), Swarovski, the jewel manufacturer that spawned a zillion awful iPhone cases.

So far, there are 35 participating sites geared toward affluent audiences that have agreed to be part of Glam Luxury and run its ads in exchange for some perks, like syndication in a Glam e-newsletter and access to a revenue-sharing video platform. Among the third-party … Read more