Luxury Phone Has Luxury Price Tag

Russian company Gresso just announced the Avantgarde Skeleton. Described in stilted English, the the Skelton is constructed of a “special titanium alloy” with “23 functional keys*” made of aircraft steel. Turn the phone over and you’ll be treated to a panel of sapphire glass featuring the Gresso “G” logo covered in 10 micron gold accompanied with a magnetic stainless steel battery cover “decorated with genuine leather.” Why is it that most luxury tech items include leather, regardless of whether it’s necessary? The  phone runs Windows Mobile 6.0, has a 2 mega-pixel camera and a 240 x 320 resolution. Gresso forsakes the commoner’s Arabic numerals for Roman numerals, noting that “A spetial (sic) features is the keyboard with Roman numerals. This is also an innovation by Gresso. No phone has ever been designed this way.” I believe the last time “Roman numerals” and “innovative” were used together was the Middle Ages. Gresso is only making 15 of these limited edition phones and each one will be numbered and engraved (hopefully with Roman numerals). The Avantgarde Skeleton will retail for $5000 or approximately 25 iPhones. The choice, dear consumer, is up to you. *Based on the photo, the Skeleton appears to have 24 buttons, not 23. Perhaps the 24th button is non-functioning? via Engadget.