Hasta La Gadget!

There are several companies out there who can build incredibly expensive mobile phones for incredibly rich people. One of the names that spring to mind is Vertu. Vertu is a company that makes some very expensive mobile phones that use precious metals such as gold and platinum as well as diamonds and other gemstones to create customized and very expensive mobile phones. There are also other companies for the wealthy to turn to for blinged out smartphones.

One of these other companies is British designer Stuart Hughes. A businessman from Hong Kong, called “Joe”, recently commissioned Stuart Hughes to create an incredibly expensive iPhone 5. At least the wealthy businessman chose a decent smartphone to start with. Many people wouldn’t consider most of the offerings from Vertu as smartphones.

Joe wanted to use a giant 26-carat Black diamond that has been in his family for generations as the center point for his customized iPhone 5. That massive black diamond was used for the home button of the smartphone. That large black diamond isn’t the only gemstones used on this custom smartphone.

Hughes also added 600 white diamonds around the outside edge of the smartphone along with what appears to be gold. The customized iPhone 5 reportedly cost $15 million. That massive black diamond has reportedly been in the business man’s family for generations. I wonder how much his ancestors would appreciate Joe using that black diamond on a smartphone.

[via CNET]

Businessman from Hong Kong spends $15 million on diamond encrusted iPhone 5 is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

T-Mobile was more than pleasantly surprised when it discovered that in almost all of its 3,000 stores across the nation, people were lining up in order to purchase an iPhone. It was the only major carrier to not sell the iPhone. Even prepaid carriers like Virgin Mobile USA and Cricket got their hands on the iPhone before T-Mobile could. T-Mobile tried to play things off by saying it didn’t need an iPhone because it had a large selection of Android devices that were even better than the iPhone, but yesterday’s turnout proved otherwise.

Some stores were extremely busy and required stanchions, while other stores saw the commotion die down later on in the day. Many T-Mobile customers were relieved that they would finally be able to use an iPhone on their carrier. And while the customers would have to pay a lot more for their iPhone compared to other carriers, that didn’t deter them because in the end, the cost of the iPhone combined with T-Mobile’s low rates would ending up saving them a lot more in the long run.

Customers were able to get the 16GB T-Mobile iPhone 5 for a $99 down payment, and $20 monthly payments for 24 months. If they wanted an iPhone 4S instead, they would have to pay a $69.99 down payment, and $20 a month for 24 months. And finally, if they just wanted an iPhone 4, they would only have to make an $18 down payment, and pay $18 a month for 24 months. While the iPhone 4 and 4S is only available in one storage size, if customers wanted an iPhone 5 with more space, they would be able to purchase a 32GB version with a $199 down payment, or a 64GB with a $299 down payment (monthly payments stay the same).

T-Mobile also announced a trade-in program, where customers can trade in their old iPhones to reduce the payments of their new iPhone 5. While we’re not sure how many people took advantage of the trade-in program, we do know that T-Mobile has seen some phenomenal results from the launch of its iPhones. T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert told AllThingsD, “Clearly they want the iPhone 5, and they are voting with their feet that they want it from T-Mobile.” Be sure to check out our review on the iPhone 5 to see if its the device you should switch to.

[via AllThingsD]

T-Mobile’s first day iPhone sales exceeds all expectations is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Late last month, T-Mobile announced that the iPhone 5 would be hitting the carrier’s network, and we later found out that April 12 would be the day that T-Mobile users could snatch Apple’s latest device. Today is that day, folks. For just $99 down, you can pick up a T-Mobile iPhone 5, marking the first time that T-Mobile has officially carried the iPhone.

The T-Mobile variant of the iPhone 5 is quite a unique version, meaning that it’ll support HD Voice, making T-Mobile the only carrier to offer the iPhone 5 with that feature for now. However, the phone won’t support WiFi calling on T-Mobile’s network, which could definitely be a deal-breaker for some.

Just the other day, T-Mobile pushed out an update for its iPhone 5 before it was even released. The update addresses battery life issues, as well as officially enables the carrier’s new LTE network, which is now live in seven markets in the US. Of course, that’s not a lot of coverage, but T-Mobile says they’re planning on covering 200 million people by the end of the year.

If the iPhone 5 doesn’t tickle your fancy, T-Mobile also offers the older iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S for a bit cheaper. You can grab the iPhone 4 for just $15 down, while the iPhone 4S will be priced at $70 down. Of course, you can pay full price for the three phones up front, with the iPhone 5 starting at only $579. Either way, though, you’ll be paying full prices for the phones no matter how you look at it, so choose your payment plan wisely.

T-Mobile iPhone 5 now available is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

T-Mobile is kicking off its official sales of the iPhone 5 today, marking the first time the U.S.’ fourth largest carrier has offered an Apple smartphone. Thanks to T-Mo’s new Uncarrier plans, the iPhone 5 can be had starting at just $99, with two years of $20 monthly payments to cover the balance, or for free if you’re switching from another carrier and bring a device in for trade. So far, so good, according to reports of lines forming at retail stores for a phone that’s now over six months old.

BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk tweeted the photo above of a line at a location this morning, and reports on Twitter suggest that small lines are forming at various locations around the U.S. Our own intern Michael Seo said there was a small one outside the T-Mobile store near our New York offices when he came into work this morning.

The appetite for the T-Mobile iPhone is good news for both Apple and the small carrier. T-Mobile’s existing potential reach only represents around 26.1 million total additional subscribers for Apple (a smaller percentage of which are realistically potential iPhone 5 buyers). That’s not a huge number in global subscriber terms, but it does give Apple room to expand its smartphone dominance in the U.S., and could provide it a late-stage bump for the iPhone 5, which is going to face increasing pressure from new competing flagship devices like the Samsung Galaxy S4.

T-Mobile has consistently been left out of launch day hype surrounding the release of Apple’s iPhone, with the carrier relegated to watching from the sidelines as AT&T, Sprint and Verizon locations saw customers queue for the iPhone 5 back in September, so it’s probably very happy to see lines form with this launch. Combined, the iPhone 5 and the carrier’s new model could lure away quite a few switchers, but we’ll have to wait and see if that impacts the overall distribution of U.S. wireless customers in any significant way.

Like sands in the hour glass, these are today’s Apple tips and leaks – starting with an analyst note passed on after a meeting with Apple executives, chock-full of suggestions for the future of the company. First off, it would appear that Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty has made it clear that Apple may be releasing a new “killer iOS app” later this year. Before we go any further, it’s important that we all pause and read the two most important words read thus far: analyst and “may”.

While there’s no reason to think Huberty didn’t meet with Apple executives recently, the fact that the notes she’s passed on are all tied to “could” and “is believed to” and “may” should give you a clue to how much was actually revealed to her. With that in mind, feel free to go wild with acceptance and faith in the possibilities!

“We believe Apple could charge either developers or users for some of these services, which could boost Apple’s annuitized revenue stream and better monetize its large user base. For example, Apple could offer a streaming music service using a freemium model.” – Huberty

You’ll find Apple being suggested to create an internet-based service the likes of which could be a music service by the name of “iRadio” and might be working on deals with Warner Music and Universal Music Group as we speak. Also suggested once again is the iPhone 5S along with distribution plans for NTT Docomo in Japan and China Mobile (in China).

The “killer iOS app” spoken about by Huberty has been described as quite possibly as important as Apple’s adoption of Siri with the iPhone 4S. This could be the introduction of mobile payments, integration being started already with the app Passbook brought fourth in iOS 5. Conflicting reports in the past have suggested Apple’s inclusion of an NFC payment system in the next generation of iPhone products as well.

Sound realistic to you? How about that multi-colored plastic iPhone, eh? Have a peek at some other recent Apple tips and suggestions in the timeline below, and let us know what you think!

[via Apple Insider]

Apple “killer iOS app” tipped with new web-based service is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.