Nokia joins the gold rush, in 24k
Another limited edition goes for thousands on eBay
Designing cell phones isn't what it once was. Where companies used to compete only with other phone makers, they must now do battle with multimedia players, GPS systems, cameras, PDAs and who knows what else. And on top of all that, they must deal with the fashion designers who have fallen in love with gold handsets.
Nokia is the latest to join the gold rush with the "Diamond Edition" of its 8800 Sirocco, a luxury version from Germany's Sanyedesign that adds a 24k gold case to its 2-megapixel camera, MP3 player and 100MB built-in memory.
Only 1,000 of them will be available, so they'll be even more exclusive than the gold Dolce & Gabbana Razr, which goes for a mere $300. The Diamond Sirocco, according to Luxurylaunches, is selling for more than 10 times that sum in some auctions on eBay. At that rate, it could give the PS3 a run for its money.