80's Arcade Trunks From Pinel and Pinel

Pinel and Pinel's latest luxury trunk will bring back the 80's in a new millenium sort of way. With a 1080p LCD screen, a high-end sound system and an iPod/ iPhone dock, the stitched calf leather trunk is available in 51 different color variations -or in Crocodile or Shagreen upon request.



Loaded with 60 popular arcade games from the 80's including Pacman, Space Invaders and Capcom, the 80's Arcade trunk can be purchased in a Classic or GT version (painted with racing stripes). Both versions have chromium-plated dashboards, aluminum accents and rubber wheels.




Classic versions:

GT versions:


Price: 13,500 euros (or $17, 416.00 USD)
Pinel et Pinel

A Porsche That Runs On A Battery: The P'9521

Luxury mobile phones.
A growing category in the market of mobile communications.

We have the Prada cell phone by LG, the Armani-Samsung Phone, the Goldvish diamond encrusted Vertu cell phone, the Bang & Olufsen Samsung cell phone, diamond studded cell phones, gold plated cell phones, even Ferrari and Lambourghini additions to the luxury mobile market.

So, what's next to enter this market of luxury communication devices? The Porsche of cell phones. Or rather, the Porsche Cell phone. Below are pics and an in-depth is a review of this newly released collaboration between the Porsche Design Studio and Sagem Communication.




Reviewed by JULIAN PEH
Photography AHMED ZULKAMAL

An instrument wrought out of aluminum and glass, the Porsche Design P'9521 phone is an intriguing new entrant to the burgeoning luxury mobile phone market.

A collaboration between Porsche Design and Sagem Communication, the phone’s features include a fingerprint scanner and accelerometer, a music player (with a 2GB memory card) and a 3.2-megapixel camera.

However, as we have observed in the past, companies attempting to break into this market often emphasize on build quality, materials and design, rather than engage in the more-features-is-better specifications war.

It is within this context that we shall review the Porsche Design P'9521.

The P'9521 is undoubtedly a striking phone. With its glossy mineral glass cover and brushed metal skin, it is instantly distinguishable from other clamshells.

As befits an established design house, Porsche Design did not choose to integrate cues from Porsche sports car design into their phones but adopted a futuristic yet minimalist design theme, consistent with its other products.

The phone is made rather thick and heavy for a clamshell, but these traits are a forgiveable trade-off, considering the company's innovative use of materials in the design of the phone.

The phone's casing is milled out of a solid aluminum block. The use of aluminum gives a unique sensation of quality to the phone – the hinges turn with satisfying mechanical resistance and the brushed aluminum has a texture that delights the fingers. The mineral glass used on the cover is simply gorgeous and possesses a sheen that plastic simply cannot replicate.

The only letdown in the phone's construction is the battery cover, which is a simple piece of rubber-coated plastic. For a phone that exhibits excellent build quality everywhere else, the design of the battery cover is somewhat incongruous and puzzling.

Start the phone, and an animation simulating the view from the cockpit of a speeding Porsche rolls on the phone's screen. The display utilizes AM-OLED technology and the colors are extremely vivid and the images sharp from all but the most extreme viewing angles.

The menu interface is beautifully designed, and its use of a light-on-dark color scheme and Porsche Design's trademark typography exudes functional elegance.

A unique feature of this phone is the fingerprint scanner located just under the display. The scanner can also be used to scroll through the menu like a vertical touchpad if one does not wish to use the keypad. The keypad itself is almost totally flat and the keys do not have much travel. However, this is something we got used to easily after a few hours of use.

The P'9521 boasts excellent sound quality for both voice calls and music.

Save for the fingerprint scanner, the Porsche Design P'9521 does not really contain any groundbreaking technical features. However, its elegant design and high build quality enables it to stand out in a sea of clamshell phones. A guaranteed conversation piece.

P´9521
The new P’9521 cell phone from Porsche Design blends purist style with the latest in communication technology from Sagem.
Available from spring 2008 in North America. Not available in Korea and Japan.
Specs below:

General functions
- Photo/video camera: 3.2 Mpix, autofocus camera with flash and digital zoom
- Screen rotates through 180 degrees
- Sensitive touch/fingerprint reader [phone security, direct calls, menu navigation]
- Dimensions: 91 x 48 x 18.4 mm
- Weight: 139 g
- Charging time: 3 hours
- Communication time: 3 hours 30 minutes talk time/240 hours standby
- MP3 playback: 7 hours
- Phone materials: Mineral glass and aluminum
Interface
- Screen: AM-OLED 262,000 colors QVGA 320x240 pixels, 2.2"
- Second screen: AM-OLED 65,000 colors 128x96 pixels, 1.15"
Data transmission
- Bluetooth: v1.2 with AADP, AVRCP & FTP profiles
- USB: USB2.0, USB Data Cable
Network standards
- GSM: GSM-GPRS/EDGE: 900 – 1800 – 1900 MHz
- Automatic frequency transfer
Multimedia
Messages: SMS / EMS / MMS
- Email: e-mail on internet
- Internet: Mini-Opera[tm] / browser WAP2.0
Video & photos
- Camera: 3.2 megapixels
-
Autofocus
Image formats: BMP, GIF, PNG, JPEG
- Zoom: digital [photo & video]
- Flash
- Video recording: MPEG4
- Video player: H264, 3GP, MPEG4
- Video streaming
Music
- Recording
- Playback: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, stereohttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
- Formats: iMelody 1.2, Midi, Wave, AMR NB [recorder and player] and WB [player]
Background mode
- Playlists: automatic, by theme/interpreter/most played/download date
- Fast forward/rewind/play/pause
- Visual effects: bar display, equalizer
- Special FX sounds : 3D, reverb, chorus, flanger



For more information, click here.

To see seriously luxed up cell phones; gold-plated, gem-encrusted etc, visit the following sites:
Goldvish,
Goldstriker
Gresso
Amosu
Mobiado

Luxury Gadgets For The Design Geek

Mikimoto-Beans ' all new 2007 iTheaterV
Price: $379.99

Mikimoto-Beans Japan introduces the all new 2007 iTheaterV, high quality and stylish video glasses for iPod video or other devices with AV outputs. Featuring 2 high resolution TFT displays with improved VGA resolution of 640 x 480 (increased from the previous model of 320 x 240 pixels). Experience watching a 65" high resolution TV from just 2.5 meters away with the new iTheaterV (previous model is equivalent to a 50" TV). iTheaterV also has 2 built-in earphones, so when the user is watching a movie through iTheaterV, the sound is produced to stereo audio. iTheaterV is light weight and it stays comfortable around the head. Includes a unique converter that allows i-Theater to work on other devices through AV connection. Designed with a sleek outfit; the new red stripe gives it a futuristic look. Up to 5 hours of playback time using batteries. Smaller and lighter than the previous model. A great gift idea for friends and family or just an excellent travel companion for those long flights (in style, with privacy too).

Mikimoto-Beans' iTheaterV is a friendly i-Pod accessory and also an one-of-a-kind device for iPod Video. Available in silver only.
Buy it here.

Segatoys HomeStar Pro 21st Century Home Planetarium
Price: $289.99

Segatoys announced a new and improved version of HomeStar Home Planetarium. The high quality "HomeStar Pro" is the 21st Century Home Planetarium. It features high brightness white LEDs that is 3 times brighter than HomeStar. HomeStar Pro can rotate the plates in slow motion and show shooting stars. With a full dark environment, HomeStar Pro allows you to focus and project sharper images. Adopts an adjustable stand for variety of shooting angles. It comes with a Full Moon sidereal original plates, one of the unique plates that only comes with HomeStar Pro. A great gift and present for friends and families to enjoy a clear night view right at home. Available 2 stylish colors.

NOTE: This product is a Japanese import. Packaging and instruction manual are in Japanese. However, operation is very straight forward and does not require the knowledge of Japanese.
Buy it here.

Amadana PT-108 Wireless Telephone Clad in Leather
Price: $399.99

PT-108 is Amadana's all new classic yet futuristic wireless telephone. Features genuine leather, a natural material, on the handle part of the receiver. In both red and brown, the leather gives the feel of warmth and comfort. Designed with a compact body size to reduce space use. Amadana PT-108 introduces 4 special ring tones for better and enjoyable sound to the ears. Available in black and white.
Specifications: Rated voltage 100V
Dimension:-Telephone receiver: W43.5 x D30.5 x H180 mm
-Cradle: W107 x D117.5 x H59 mm

Buy it here.

Zyken NightCove
Price: $2,500

One of the few designer sleep aides that doesn't come in a pill form, Zyken's NightCove alarm clock lulls high-octane executives to sleep with scientifically-calibrated lights and sounds designed to improve sleep quality.
Five years in the making, the futuristic-looking clock was developed in partnership with Damien Léger, president of the Scientific Council of the Institute of Sleep and Alertness in France, and leading international light and chronobiology expert Dr. Claude Gronfie.
The NightCove uses a patented sleep system with 20 pre-loaded programs combining sound and light of varying color, wavelength and intensity that's tailored to improve sleep cycles and regulate the body's melatonin levels. Simply set the alarm, press the sleep button and the gizmo strategically rotates through purple, red, blue and other hues to help the body fall asleep faster, sleep more deeply and awake rested. Consider it the gift that keeps giving.
Buy it here.

Les Paul Robot Guitar Price:$2,500

Jamming with tech moguls like Roger McNamee -- the co-founder of Silicon Valley's Elevation Partners who also performs with the semi-pro band Moonalice -- requires more than talent. It demands the Les Paul Robot Guitar, a high-tech guitar with an automatic tuning button.
The limited edition robot guitar eliminates the hassle of lowering the pitch of every string by hand, and then strumming and tweaking. Produced by Gibson Guitar, the instrument arrives programmed with several popular open tunings such as Open G and Open D, as well as tunings for six classic hits including Led Zeppelin's "Going to California" and "Voodoo Child" by Jimi Hendrix. It can also be programmed with customized tunings.
Buy it here.

ZMP Miuro iPod Speaker
Price: $1,299.99

Introducing "Miuro" from ZMP, the all new one-of-a-kind iPod boom-box in the market. It is special designed with an egg shape and built-in with multiple high quality sensors. ZMP's Miuro is not an ordinary speaker; it is categorized in the Robot section because it actually follows the user around the house while playing music. It comes with a private joystick that allows the user to control and adjust the motion and audio. Miuro adopts a 4ch digital power amplifier with multi-channel drive, producing crystal clear sound and superb bass. It corresponds with 4th Generation iPods. Miuro can also become a wireless speaker for PC. With a high resolution VFD screen to display the text and the title. Designed with a simple yet unique outfit, Miuro is stylish for the 21st century world. A friendly iPod accessory. Available in 4 different colors.


NOTE: This is a Japanese product and user manual and software are in Japanese.
Buy it here.

Robovie-M V3 (Big-Max) Humanoid Robot Kit (and he's gold)
Price: $2,699.99

Robovie-M V3 is the current hottest Humanoid Robot in the market for research institutes and the battlebot world. It is designed with a strong and well-balanced body kit. Robovie-M V3 has a total of 22 joint angular sensors, it is capable of doing basic moments, throwing objects, punching, somersaulting, doing handstands, side stepping, and playing soccer with other Robovie-M V3s. When it falls, it automatically pushes itself back up to a standing position. It comes in 2 stylish colors and a full metal body outfit. It includes 70 predefined programs.
Buy it here.