Introduction
The Apple Watch was a significant moment for the tech industry. Not because it was the biggest company in the world signalling its interest in a new product category - that's too ordinary. It's because finally it was proof that the tech world had emerged from the messy bedroom preserve of the geeks, and was instead more at home on the catwalk.
That's right - the gadgets you use aren't just about convenience, they're about making a statement. But what if you want to make a really, really big statement? Here's our pick of ten of the most outrageous gadgets in the world today.
Vertu Signature Touch for Bentley
Let's start with that most essential of devices, your mobile phone. Really, you want a phone that will match your car - and this is where luxury phone maker Vertu comes in. Since it began life as a division of Nokia, it has concentrated on producing some of the most expensive handsets we've ever seen. And recently it made the switch to Android, ensuring that your phone won't just look the business, but will also ensure that you can access Instagram to post photos of your glamorous life.
The Signature Touch for Bentley phone will cost £10,300 and features polished titanium, a debossed Bentley logo (so everyone will know that you have a Bentley) and is backed in two different colours of leather. Spec-wise it is decent too - containing a 5.2” sapphire screen and a 21 megapixel camera that can shoot video in 4K.
Gold iPhone 6S
Okay, so the Vertu looks pretty slick, but your rich mates will still judge you for using an Android device instead of an iPhone. Apple, somehow, have a complete grip on the super rich. But don't worry - there's a way you can conform and yet still express your wealth simultaneously.
Gold Genie won't sell you the standard Apple gold-looking iPhone - they'll dunk a 6S into 24 carat gold. If you're really wanting to bring the bling, the “Supernova” version will coat your phone in Swarovski-style crystals for good measure. And all for just an oddly specific price of £3270.32.
Marble Macbook Pro
iPhones aren't the only Apple product to get the luxury aftermarket treatment.Colorwarehas taken the standard 15” Macbook Pro with Retina Display and given it a beautiful marble finish. In additional to the marble, the company will also replace the standard Apple logo on the rear with one made of 24 carat gold. It'll make it appear as though your laptop was used by Julius Caesar himself.
Tesla Model S
Can a car be a gadget? What if that car has electric innards and is biologically closer to a laptop than an internal combustion engine? Forget this philosophical quandary and pick yourself up a Tesla if you want to turn heads.
The Model S is still a suitably premium £60,000 or so - and it'll still be a while before the great unwashed can get their hands on the more accessible Model 3. But with an on-board computer that will pilot the car for you, you'll be able to silently glide along the road and enjoy the car's plush interior while feeling pretty smug about the fact that you're extragence is also helping to save the planet.
LG 105UC9V
No palace is complete without a really, really nice telly - which is why LG exclusively sells the 105UC9V at Harrods. At a cost of around £60,000, the 105 inch curved TV is perfect for any corrupt commodities oligarch or middle eastern monarch. It supports 4K, 3D, and LG claims that its “Triple XD” engine will provide excellent colour and contrast. There's also a 7.2” 150W speaker.
On the inside, it runs LG's WebOS so you'll be able to run whatever smart TV apps you need, and there's even a built in DVR that can save video to external storage.
No more squinting at that pathetic 96 inch TV for you.
Gold PS4
Slightly more back down to Earth, but still a gadget that will bring the bling to your living room, Sony released a gold-coloured PS4 as part of a promotion with US fastfood chain Taco Bell last year. While the promotion is now over, the special gold consoles do appear regularly on eBay.
Audio Technica ATH-M50
These ain't no regular ATH-M50 headphones, as these are caked in Swarovski crystals and are priced at £1,799.99 atFirebox. The core technology inside will provide you with excellent sound quality (it uses a neodymium magnet to ensure excellent signal quality), the crystals will make sure that you look the part when you're in the DJ booth spinning tracks.
HTC Vive
Turning heads with your gadgets isn't just about having the shiniest thing, but also the newest and the coolest. Which is why you should pick up an HTC Vive VR headset. Arguably the most premium offering in a brand new product category, the headset will enable you to cruise around Los Santos like a baller in anEntity XF, even if you could never dream of buying such a car in real life.
Tag Heuer Connected
And finally, back to watches. If you want a blinging watch, but also want some smart features, then Tag Heuer makes a good alternative to the Apple Watch. It looks like a traditional premium Tag Heuer, but the face is in fact a screen and works on the Android Wear platform - so you can receive notifications, run apps and do everything you might want to do on a cheaper Smart Watch (say, the Moto 360), but still look super classy. And still with that iconic Tag Heuer watch face.
£150k Gold Apple Watch
And finally, the Apple Watch. But we're not talking about the run-of-the-mill £8,000 gold Apple Watch that Apple sells. That's just simply too mainstream. Instead, spend £150,000 on the Firebox WTF version instead - which has been further encrusted with diamonds to really set it apart. And if this doesn't bring the blind, then nothing will.
