Vertu
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| Type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Luxury goods, Telecommunications |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Church Crookham, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Perry Oosting, President and Chief Operating Officer Frank Nuovo, Head of Design |
| Products | Luxury mobile phones |
| Employees | 600 |
| Parent | Division of Nokia Corporation |
| Website | vertu.com |
Vertu is a British-based manufacturer and retailer of luxury mobile phones. Formerly a wholly owned subsidiary, the business is now an independently run division of the Finnish mobile-phone manufacturer Nokia.
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[edit] Concept
Vertu phones are hand-made in its factories in Church Crookham, Hampshire, England. The most expensive model it has ever made is the Signature Cobra, at £213,000 (~$310,000); the most expensive regular model is the Signature Diamond at £55,000 (~$83,000). Prices start at £3500 for the Constellation model.[1]
Each phone is made up of hundreds of components made from stainless steel, ceramics, carbon fiber, finest grade leather (some with alligator skin). The screens of all handsets are made of ultra-thin sapphire crystal that takes fifteen days to create. Precious pieces may include 18k yellow, white, or rose gold, or platinum, along with diamonds. Every key is individually ground and cut from sapphire. All leather is sourced from Northern Europe. The high fidelity sound system sets a new benchmark for audio performance on a mobile phone. Demonstrating its acoustic clarity, the London Symphony Orchestra (which produces all Vertu ringtones) performed a piece composed by Dario Marianelli exclusively for Vertu.
The business is based in the United Kingdom with offices in New York City, Beirut, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Paris, Singapore Tokyo. Vertu's president and chief operating officer is Perry Oosting, and its Principal Designer is Frank Nuovo. The business has over 600 employees.
[edit] Collection
The flagship model is called the Signature. Its key pad contains nearly 5 carats of ruby bearings.
Other models include: Ascent, Constellation Classic, Ayxta, along with smartphones Constellation Quest, and the Constellation Touch (released October 2011). Ascent phones are ultra-lightweight and very durable, made of aerospace-grade aluminium or titanium with vulcanised rubber and leather. The Constellation Classics are simple and small handsets. Ayxtas are flip phones that come in numerous variants and colors. The Quest is the first smartphone by Vertu, equipped with a full QWERTY keyboard made from sapphire sculpted keys. The Constellation Touch is the first touchscreen model from Vertu.[2]
[edit] Limited edition
Vertu makes handsets in collaboration with Ferrari[3], Boucheron[4], Audemars Piguet. In early 2012, three different limited edition models of the Signature were released for the Year of the Dragon.[5]
[edit] Operating system
Previous and current Vertu phones run the Symbian mobile operating system.
[edit] Distribution
Vertu phones are available in its own branded stores, concessions in leading department stores such as Harrods and Selfridges in London, and other authorised retailers such as Tourneau in the U.S.
There are three Vertu Boutiques in the United States, located on Madison Avenue in New York City, the Wynn Las Vegas resort and casino, and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Bling! Bling!". CNNMoney.com. http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/biz2/cellphone/4.html. Retrieved 15 May 2009.
- ^ "Vertu Launch Party | Hollywood Stars Try Out the New Constellation".
- ^ "Vertu, Ferrari Team Up for Titanium Phone".
- ^ "Vertu Boucheron 150 Crafted from Solid Gold".
- ^ "Vertu rings in the Year of the Dragon by welcoming a trio of Signature luxury phones". Engadget.
[edit] External links
- vertu.com, company's official website
- Vertu Is Its Own Reward (TIME Stylewatch article)
- New Nokia Phones for Richie Rich (Wired)
