X

Indulging in the Luxury Technology Show (pictures)

From supercars to space chairs, from Avegant to Zensorium, the Luxury Technology Show in Manhattan gathers ritzy brands and glitzy watch bands into one decadent high-tech showcase. Here's a look at some of the highest-end gear aimed at the affluent and ostentatious.

David Katzmaier
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
David Katzmaier
LuxuryShowCNET2014-2.jpg
1 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
From supercars to space chairs, from Avegant to Zensorium, the Luxury Technology Show in Manhattan gathers ritzy brands and glitzy watch bands into one decadent high-tech showcase.

As the most expensive item at the show, the McLaren 12C Spider (about $270,000) is the ultimate luxury. We weren't allowed to sit in it, and moreover were advised to be careful with the Prosecco.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-7.jpg
2 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
It does 0 to 60 in 3.1 seconds, during which time you're advised to hang onto your Anthony Peto.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-11.jpg
3 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
The twin turbo V-8 summons 616 horsepower, plenty to get you from the Seelbach Hilton to your box at the Kentucky Derby on time.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-101.jpg
4 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
"Every inch of the 12C Spider is bespoke and crafted to precision. The steering wheel has been modeled from digital scans of a World Championship-winning driver's steering wheel for optimal ergonomics. The Formula 1TM style rocker shift is designed to deliver you an unparalleled sense of control, and 12C Spider's controls are distributed rationally according to how often you use them." Much like your offshore investments.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-64.jpg
5 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
From a moving cockpit to a stationary one, the Emperor LX is not just any $21,000 chair.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-61.jpg
6 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
The Emp is designed to provide ergonomic comfort and total immersion, complete with five widescreen monitors on an articulated arm. It's the perfect way to indulge in high-stakes day trading while keeping an eye on your estate's security cameras.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-57.jpg
7 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Egress is accomplished by moving the monitors up and out of the way. Class is accomplished by vertebra-like segments of wood.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-62.jpg
8 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
The chair adjusts six ways and offers a heat/vent climate package. I was told the massage utilizes blood stimulation. No mention was made of a built-in bidet option.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-69.jpg
9 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
The cupholder is sized perfectly for Voss. Here I crank the volume in preparation for an eight-hour (or until I have to pee) WoW session.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-59.jpg
10 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Eat your heart out, Darth Vader.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-12.jpg
11 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
If you have to use a more conventional "work" space, to go over plans for the new chalet for example, the Stir Kinetic Desk ($3900) can moved from a sitting to a standing position with a double-tap on its touch screen -- which also includes a calorie tracker.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-87.jpg
12 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Want to burn more calories? Between sessions with your personal trainer, keep tuned up with the Peloton Bike ($2,000).
LuxuryShowCNET2014-104.jpg
13 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
The integrated 21.5-inch multitouch console delivers live streaming and on-demand fitness classes. Getting yelled at by someone on a screen never cost so much.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-89.jpg
14 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Get your cook to blend up some refreshing post-workout smoothies. The Blendtec Designer 700 ($750, background) has a 1700-watt motor and touchscreen control. Meanwhile, the Stealth ($1500, foreground) is "simply the most advanced blender on the planet, and also the quietest–blending at the sound level of normal conversation."
LuxuryShowCNET2014-52.jpg
15 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
When it's time to wash up, Simplehuman's line of touch-free sensor products respond to a royal wave.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-45.jpg
16 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Make sure you're not breathing the same air as the common rabble with the Blueair Sense ($479). It filters 99.97 percent of all particles, leaving only the wealthiest 0.03 percent.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-48.jpg
17 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Time to relax? The Sim2 Fuoriserie ($100,000) is a hand-built, limited-edition three-chip DLP projector that delivers a blinding 5,000 lumens, enough to fill your Ziegfeld-esque media room screen.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-112.jpg
18 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
For the kids' projection room, Sim2 makes the Crystal Cube ($5,000).
LuxuryShowCNET2014-111.jpg
19 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
The Cube's sleek box won't spoil minimalist decor.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-51.jpg
20 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
A huge screen isn't exactly decorator-friendly, but a custom frame with retractable art -- VuTec's Art Screen (around $7,000) -- can tastefully hide that unsightly white rectangle until you want to watch something.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-20.jpg
21 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
If you insist on 4K, the Sony VPL-VW1100 ($27,999) can fill your screen with those extra pixels for a relative pittance.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-19.jpg
22 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Meanwhile, if you're just looking for a regular old TV, the 85-inch Sony XBR-85X950B ($25,000) fits the bill. Full-array local dimming and 4K resolution should make a luxurious combination, and its easel stand legs a nice conversation piece.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-34.jpg
23 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Your ears deserve a bit of luxury too. Sure it's not a Krell or a McIntosh, but the TA-A1ES stereo amp ($2,000) is impressive for a Sony. And more important, it matches perfectly with the...
LuxuryShowCNET2014-35.jpg
24 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
...HAP-Z1ES high-res audio player ($2,000).
LuxuryShowCNET2014-86.jpg
25 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
A personal home theater, the Avagent Virtual Retinal Display, comes complete with integrated headphones. It's still in the prototype phase however, so it's literally priceless.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-54.jpg
26 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
When it's time to leave your penthouse, mansion or private island, you'll need to accessorize with the latest luxury gear. The first thing you'll want to do is safeguard your walking money. Enter the iWallet Biometric Locking Wallet ($350).
LuxuryShowCNET2014-53.jpg
27 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
It only opens when the built-in fingerprint reader recognizes your touch.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-55.jpg
28 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
The bluetooth wallet and companion app can also alert you if you leave behind a credit card or if the wallet itself leaves your pocket without permission.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-24.jpg
29 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Next accessory: Your smartwatch. Any chump can buy a Pebble, but it takes someone of refined taste to venture further afield. One candidate is made by Android ($200) -- no relation to the mobile operating system used by millions of plebs.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-30.jpg
30 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
In fact, this Android actually works with Apple's iOS.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-78.jpg
31 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Features are all well and good, but everyone knows a watch should be about design. The MetaWatch (price TBD) wraps your wrist in smart luxury.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-85.jpg
32 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
It might not be a Rolex, but it does have a certain je ne sais quoi, no?
LuxuryShowCNET2014-82.jpg
33 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
No? Well, at least it comes in gold.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-83.jpg
34 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
And pink.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-15.jpg
35 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Moving on...the masses are likely happy with their iPhone photos, but your images are worth more. Like ten times more. The Walnut wood grip of the Hasselblad Stellar ($2,000) makes every snapshot classier.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-17.jpg
36 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Every camera should offer so many choices in wood finish.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-14.jpg
37 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Seriously show-offy shutterbugs, especially those who can make their personal assistant carry it around, might prefer the Lunar ($7,000).
LuxuryShowCNET2014-115.jpg
38 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Of course you have an iPhone too, and now it can help assess your fitness and wellness when you're away from the spa. The Zensorium Tinke ($119) measures you heart and breathing rate, oxygen saturation, and even your heart's rhytmic pattern. "Thump thump ca-ching, thump thump ca-ching!"
LuxuryShowCNET2014-117.jpg
39 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
The Vita Fitness measurement helps track your body's status, while a Zen Relaxation measurement can "calm as well as understand your inner self." Who needs thousands of dollars in therapy?
LuxuryShowCNET2014-119.jpg
40 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Meanwhile the Aura Breathalizer ($250) brings high fashion to the act of measuring how drunk you are.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-122.jpg
41 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
After a three-martini lunch, the Aura's simplicity comes in handy.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-126.jpg
42 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
The Aura unfortunately cannot measure intoxication by cocaine.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-77.jpg
43 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
The latest trend in luxury smoking, not to be confused with common e-cigarettes, are devices like Ploom ($40).
LuxuryShowCNET2014-129.jpg
44 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
It uses proprietary "Pods," sort of like tobacco K-cups, available in numerous flavors at $9 per pack of 12. You don't have to do the math.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-72.jpg
45 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
If you prefer your tobacco wackier, meet the Pax ($250). This premium loose-leaf vaporizer heats rather than burns, loose leafy substances and releases clean vapor instead of smoke.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-73.jpg
46 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
You can put your _____ in it.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-131.jpg
47 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Another ultimate luxury is smoking indoors at a technology show.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-134_1.jpg
48 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Not smoking..."Plooming." And no, I didn't inhale.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-96.jpg
49 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
After all this indulgence, it's time to drive off in the second McLaren.
LuxuryShowCNET2014-97.jpg
50 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
Because what's the use of a $270,000 car...
LuxuryShowCNET2014-99.jpg
51 of 51 Sarah Tew/CNET
...if you can't have it in his and hers?

More Galleries

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera
A houseplant

My Favorite Shots From the Galaxy S24 Ultra's Camera

20 Photos
Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra
magic-v2-2024-foldable-1383

Honor's Magic V2 Foldable Is Lighter Than Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra

10 Photos
The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum
Samsung Galaxy S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus Looks Sweet in Aluminum

23 Photos
Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design
The Galaxy S24 Ultra in multiple colors

Samsung's Galaxy S24 Ultra Now Has a Titanium Design

23 Photos
I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites
img-0368.jpg

I Took 600+ Photos With the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. Look at My Favorites

34 Photos
17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About
Invitation for the Apple September iPhone 15 event

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

18 Photos
AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?
img-1599-2.jpg

AI or Not AI: Can You Spot the Real Photos?

17 Photos