[chris8189]

I've been an avid BlackBerry user for a while now, however I've always been a long-standing admirer of Vertu phones, primarily due to their excellent build quality, being made from high quality materials and the niche aspect of them being hand built in the UK, not by some mass production line. I've been to a few jewellery shops in the UK which are authorised retailers and I've held and played about with them, and they really are nice devices to hold and use.

I was wondering what people thought of there being any sort similar phone brought out by BlackBerry? I'm well aware of the Porsche Design P9981 and like the device (especially the black version), but in my opinion it still does not ooze luxury. With Vertu, you have a selection of different luxury leathers that you can choose your phone to be trimmed with, as well as a choice of different metal finishes, including brushed aluminium, brushed stainless steel, polished stainless steel, titanium etc. Of course, if you are that way inclined, there is still all of the 'tacky' bling options which Vertu unfortunately became infamous for, such as having jewels like diamonds and ruby's etc added to the exterior. I'm glad Vertu in recent years have tried to move away from this though.

So if such options like choosing the metal the phone's chassis was made from, choosing leather it is to be trimmed in etc became available for a future high-end Blackberry device, would people buy it?

I'm interested in what people think of the luxury sector of the mobile phone market.

[filoinstyle]

I probably would, BlackBerry eversince has been an ultimate device for business related purpose, also the fact that BlackBerry is being used by most professionals and celebrities its gives you that exclusivity of owning one. Not to mention if few years from now there will be limited editions and luxury editions. BlackBerry has done it with Porsche Design, I dont see why they won't do it again in the near future but I will be fully supporting it if they do create another luxury handset

[viswanathansri]

First blackberry needs to build back its brand name by producing mass market phones ... and once its name becomes widespread as it was a few years back , people would pay much more interest ( and money ) towards blackberry products . But right now they are on a recovery path and all they need is to get back as much as market share possible before entering into the luxury segment .

[Thunderbuck]

You realize that phones like the Vertu have become kind of an object of ridicule. Personally, I like them, but there's an important thing to remember about this kind of device: a $20,000 Rolex from 1960 will still tell time a century from now. A $10k Vertu might not even be compatible with whatever network is running then.

I like Vertu, though, and I thought it would have been neat to see them license BB10. Maybe that will still be an option if they can't gain an audience with Android.

[chris8189]

You realize that phones like the Vertu have become kind of an object of ridicule. Personally, I like them, but there's an important thing to remember about this kind of device: a $20,000 Rolex from 1960 will still tell time a century from now. A $10k Vertu might not even be compatible with whatever network is running then.

I like Vertu, though, and I thought it would have been neat to see them license BB10. Maybe that will still be an option if they can't gain an audience with Android.

I'm very aware that people ridicule them and pass them off as being nothing more than expensive bling, however as I mentioned in my previous post, Vertu have definitely been trying to shake off that stigma in the last few years, and have brought out some very fine looking, well made devices.

In my opinion, for the price you pay for one, they should have invested in creating their own OS. Something that is superior to any OS running on mainstream phones, rather than using an OS which is either considered obsolete (Symbian) or outdated (Android Ice Cream Sandwich).

Nonetheless, I like Vertu for the design of their phones, the fact that they're heavy and very well made, and I do hope BlackBerry follows suit with a similar device in the future. I'm starting to get wary of cheap feeling, plastic phones, which is what most phones seem to feel like nowadays!



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[acadia1106]

Vertu phone actually seems classless and tscky to me. The original vertus when they first arrived looked amazing, now not so much.

Posted via CB10

[chris8189]

Vertu phone actually seems classless and tscky to me. The original vertus when they first arrived looked amazing, now not so much.

Posted via CB10

That's an interesting point of view. What makes you say that?

[goldie335]

I'm sure blackberry can't wait to make an number expensive phone
They can't even get the z10 out there to the masses..

[BBMak]

I would kill for a Porshe design BlackBerry 10. Perhaps a slightly higher price range but less frail hardware

Posted via CB10

[RubenDM]

Maybe a porsche design will come.
This also was a really early leak or a fake one.
But it seems realistic.

blackberry london - Google zoeken

[acadia1106]

That's an interesting point of view. What makes you say that?

They just look cheesy and clunky, like hey let's get the most expensive materials we can find and then sell it, without much thought to actual design. Honestly I think iPhone looked much better, as does the z10 and soon to be Q10, it's elegance and simplicity that make them look high end. The vertus of today just look cheesy to me. A patek Phillipe watch is timeless, simple, tasteful refined you know it's expensive but not near the million dollar prices some command. Vertu doesn't get that, the original ones had that, the new ones like I said someone decided to just put the most expensive materials they could find with zero thought to fit, design, and elegance.

Posted via CB10

[acadia1106]

Again just went to vertu site god they are f ing ugly

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[chris8189]

They just look cheesy and clunky, like hey let's get the most expensive materials we can find and then sell it, without much thought to actual design. Honestly I think iPhone looked much better, as does the z10 and soon to be Q10, it's elegance and simplicity that make them look high end. The vertus of today just look cheesy to me. A patek Phillipe watch is timeless, simple, tasteful refined you know it's expensive but not near the million dollar prices some command. Vertu doesn't get that, the original ones had that, the new ones like I said someone decided to just put the most expensive materials they could find with zero thought to fit, design, and elegance.

Posted via CB10

To each their own I suppose. I'm not that keen on the newest one (the Vertu Ti running Android). I just don't like the design, especially the back of the phone, and think Vertu could have created their own superior OS, rather than moving to Android. The one I really like is the Constellation T. It's a sleek touchscreen phone, albeit running a heavily skinned version of Symbian Anna, but it looks fantastic. I've had a play with one as well and I was so tempted to buy it.

If BlackBerry's market share does dramatically improve with the OS 10 devices (let's hope it does!), it would be great to see a Porsche Design or just a luxury device brought out! I like the Curve I'm using for the OS 7 software, but the phone itself just feels cheap and plastic.

[acadia1106]

Agree about Os, going with android, also seemed to cheapen the phone, only because iOS and android look dated, bb10 and win 8 look much better

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[lorax1284]

a $20,000 Rolex from 1960 will still tell time a century from now. A $10k Vertu might not even be compatible with whatever network is running then.

Well put: I was going to say that if a mobile device costing upwards of $1200 could be built like a PC with every single component being top-of-the-line, you have a faint hope of playing demanding games on that PC in 3 years... so if a "luxury" phone could be built with processors and battery technology that is very costly TODAY, but will come down in time, so that in 3-5 years the battery still works and the device can accept an updated operating system that will perform very well, (at least on par with the best non-luxury devices available at that future time) then maybe it IS worth the investment... but how do I un-encrust all those diamonds from my iPhone 3GS?

The best way to do this might be for a vendor to make a form factor that will never ever change... that is, the shell of the device has a space for a reasonably-large screen, for access ports (data, audio, etc) and no matter how trends come and go, they commit to offering a device in that same physical form factor (even if only as components you pop into an open shell). Think of it like this: you buy that SUPER AWESOME case, like for a PC, knowing that you can gut it and put in a new motherboard and processor etc years down the road, but that case is still gorgeous.

If I was so wealthy I had money to burn, I'd get a diamond-encrusted z10 if I knew I could replace its guts with the Z15 in a few years and keep it up to date... that that's not how tech (outside of desktop PCs at least) works today.

[chris8189]

If I was so wealthy I had money to burn, I'd get a diamond-encrusted z10 if I knew I could replace its guts with the Z15 in a few years and keep it up to date... that that's not how tech (outside of desktop PCs at least) works today.

Those who are wealthy and have money to burn neither want nor need to keep the same expensive device for 'x' amount of years, hoping to be able to upgrade it with current up-to-date technology. The chances are, they're rich enough and willing enough to buy the next luxury smartphone which comes to market.