Vertu Ferrari collaboration mobile phone is even more expensive than the iPhone

Vertu, purveyors of medium-spec mobiles especially designed for the disgustingly rich, are following up their Ascent Ferrari 1947 mobile handset with another collaboration with the legendary car manufacturers.

The Ascent Ferrari 60 has been designed with Ferrari’s 60th Anniversary in mind, taking inspiration from their 612 Scaglietti, one of the most revered cars in Ferrari’s history. Part of a limited edition run of 60 handsets, the phone features parts used in Ferrari’s manufacturing processes and comes in a smart presentation pack that includes a piston from one of their cars. That’ll be useful, then.

No word on pricing, but considering that a standard Vertu phone comes in at around £2000, this extremely limited edition will most probably cost as much as an actual Ferrari. Possibly.

Drink of the week: The Orangutan

This is one drink you’re never going to have heard of, mainly because it was me who named it, but otherwise because it was created by a dead barman in a grotty pub in South London. But don’t let that dissuade you from drinking it. Neither should you consider not asking for one because of the seemingly incongrous ingredients – this cocktail is far, far greater than the sum if its parts.

Sweet and sour, the orangutan avoids normal definition – friends that I’ve mixed one these up for have variously described it as "spicy bubblegum", "melted sorbet" or, my favourite definition, "orange Britvic lollies spiked with alcohol and given to children. But I like it". I think that friend had one too many already…

You will need: Cointreau liqueur (you can use other orange liqueurs, but they don’t give the same kick), Malibu, dash of Angostura bitters, ginger beer or ginger ale, a short tumbler, cocktail shaker, orange peel

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice
Add one shot of cointreau and one shot of Malibu
Shake vigorously and strain into glass
Top up with ginger beer or ale
Dash of Angostura bitters
Squeeze the orange peel so the surface of drink is sprayed with orange oil, serve with a twist of orange

Finally, raise your glass every time you have an Orangutan in memory of its creator, until you forget what you’re actually drinking, that is.

Halo’s Master Chief makes a little appearance before the big show

Our nerdy brethren over at Techdigest have picked up on these awesome Kubrick Master Chiefs that are being released in anticipation of the eagerly awaited Halo 3, available next week. Although, as Gizmodo reported today, it appears that Argos were being particularly relaxed in their treatment of release dates.

For your the best part of £20, Firebox will ship you a limited edition pack of four Halo Heroes in various colours, including a very nice drab olive, a spiffing cerulean blue and an of-the-autumn rust-red. Mr Chief also makes an appearance (or technically, doesn’t) in an "active camo" guise, which is basically see-through.

If you miss the run on Firebox, you’ll be able to pick the set up courtesy of eBay. Only for triple the price.

Mobile phone mounted mini-projector from Texas Instruments looks great, lets you display happy slap videos to wider audience

Unless it’s wrist mounted or looks like a device out of Star Trek, I don’t get all weak at the knees for new mobile phones. As long as it makes/receives calls and can text, I’m fairly non-plussed about them.But then I came across the first working model of a mobile phone-with-projection capability and found myself a getting a little bit damp over the whole thing.

Texas Instruments, front-runners in the world of projection technology, have demonstrated their mobile phone mounted mini-projector, which displays a bright and clear 15" wide image. The device is literally as big as today’s largest mobile phones, which aren’t exactly brick-like themselves.

The proji-mobile (as I have dubbed it) uses LED lights which saves on power and prevents the phone overheating and, according to Texas Instruments, production should start for a roll-out next year. I can’t wait.

IMobile Flying C1000 mobile watch doesn’t need pilot’s license

While not a patch on the much coveted (by me mostly) Cect W100, the IMobile Flying C1000 watch has some nifty features including Bluetooth, GSM phone, 60MB of memory and, that marvel of marvels, a touch screen.

The thing is ugly as sin, but my favourite feature is the symbol recognition software which is pretty handy in the absence of a keyboard. Despite the name, however, the thing doesn’t fly. A call from the Trading Standards officers beckons.

There’s seems to be a glut of these Dick Tracy style wrist mounted mobiles, squeezing a million features into a (not so) little package. But is there a true need for the multi-faceted devices, or are they simply a gimmick? I think they’re completely unecessary, but it doesn’t stop me pining for a watch that I can have a conversation with.

[Via Gizmodo]

Happy birthday Scalextric: Still going strong after 50 years, still more exciting than the real thing!

While I was generally into GI Joe and Transformers as a kid, Scalextric will always have a special place in my heart. Granted, I only ever had the classic figure-eight kit, which was second hand and gave you some stinging electric shocks, but nonetheless, the Christmas morning I opened that slightly battered box to be faced with a couple of rather scratched F1 racers, was still one of the happiest moments in my life. You can start playing that violin now, sob, sob.

Scalextric has been exciting kids in the same way for decades and 2007 sees the world-famous miniature racing toy celebrate its 50th birthday, having survived the video game boom of the past three decades that has seen other "real" toys fall to the wayside.

To celebrate its continued popularity over the past half-century, the company behind Scalextric is releasing a special edition racing pack, consisting of a Ferrari 375 with a tinplate body (one of the first Scalextric cars to be made) plus Michael Schumacher’s 2006 F1 Ferrari, all squished into a lovely presentation pack.

For more information on how you can get your twitching mitts on the 50th Anniversary Edition pack, check out the Scalextric website. Looking at some of the kits made me feel ten years old again…

Star Wars “Death Star” home theatre is the Dark Side of all home entertainment systems

Excuse me while I melt into a salviating pool of geekiness – this is what I’m going to spend my inheritence money on. When I get it of course which, if I get my way, will be very shortly…

The Death Star Home Entertainment System is a home theatre designed to resemble the bridge of the Empire’s most powerful weapon. The plans were drawn up by none other than Doug Chiang, who was lead designer on the abysmal (but purdy looking) Episodes I and II. Presumably he jumped ship before the cringe-a-minute Revenge Of The Sith was made.

The set-up features a DVD cabinet cleverly concealed behind a life-size Han-Solo-frozen-in-carbonite, fibre optic-lit star field, 10 leather easy-chairs and a THX-certified Meridian and Runco based audio-visual system that boasts a projector, a multitude of speakers and, er, laser disc player. I’m not sure if Boba Fett and C-3PO are on hand to serve refreshments, but they certainly add to the charm.

No details on the price, but considering how the full equipment list reads, I might need to take out a few more life insurance policies on mater and pater.

[Electronic House Via Gizmodo]

Triops camera takes snaps by being bashed against wall and doesn’t break. Allegedly.

I love the concept of this tri-lensed camera, but I love the design even more. The camera is activated by movement and sound and these features, along with the three fish-eye lenses, would indicate that it’s not made for the professional snapper.

The German designer of the Triops, Franziska Faoro, is also adamant that you can set off all three lens simultaneously by flinging the thing against the wall, giving you some crazy, 360 degree snaps. Once you’ve had your fun chucking it about, the camera can wirelessly transmit your shenanigans (or artistic expressions, if you like) to its docking stations, just ripe for uploading to Myspace.

The camera only exists as a design concept at the moment, so price it TBA. I’m guessing the warranty will come with a disclaimer though:

"Impacting this equipment against wall, floor or other hard surface will invalidate the warranty".

[Via Gizmodo]

Recycled peripherals Oscar and Lilli may save the world, but they won’t save you money

These two ‘lil critters are just too aesthetically pleasing to ignore… okay, I mean they’re too cute to ignore, but I hate anthropomorphizing inanimate objects. Although, if they were alive, I’d probably raise them as my own.

Lilli and Oscar are peripherals made from 100% recycled materials. Which materials, I’m not sure, but what I can tell you is that they’re manufactured in a sweat-shop free environment in Vietnam by fairly paid and dolphin friendly workers. One of them kicked a dog once, but it was an accident, apparently.

Lilli is the Octopus like 1.3MP camera, and Oscar is a USB hub, despite looking like a big, red, neutered Mario star. Despite (or in spite of, more like) their green credentials, the equipment is relatively expensive – Lilli is a whopping £30, while Oscar will cost you around £20. Eco-friendly, yes. Wallet friendly, no.

[Via Gizmodo]

Drink of the week: A mojito a day keeps the winter blues away

With summer drawing to a close, the days are getting shorter and the nights colder. Off come the shorts and flip-flops and on go the trousers, boots, gloves, scarves, hats, jackets etc. etc. Winter’s coming, and there’s nowt we can do about it.

So it’s with one final, weary and sombre salute that we should all toast the summer with a drink that is the true embodiment of the season. A drink that evokes the spirits of countries where the sun shines all year round ,and will help keep the thoughts of the British winter at bay: Yes, it’s the mojito. Get one in while it’s still marginally appropriate as it won’t be long before it’s time for brandy Schnapps and Advocaat.

You will need: Large tumbler, a pestle, couple of handfuls of mint leaves, Havana Club rum, unrefined sugar, Limes

- First, make up a simple syrup by boiling a cup of unrefined sugar with a cup of water until the sugar dissolves, then cool in the fridge.
- Half fill the tumbler with ice, add a handful of mint leaves and crush together with the pestle
- Add 1-2 shots of the rum (I’d go with two personally)
- Squeeze in one lime
- Top with more ice and pour on the simple syrup until the glass is just full
- Stir, then top off with a sprig of mint

Finally, drink enough of them until you forget that winter is a-coming.

London’s Twenty Four Club has cool, interactive interior, but this article is about as interative as you’re going to get

Now that smoking has been banned in drinking establishments across Britain, people are looking for other ways to fill the time between slurping Mojitos and offsetting long, awkward silences with blind dates. I’d always advocate drinking more, perhaps alternating between two different beverages, but it appears that London’s Twenty Four bar has a slightly more sober solution: Staring at the walls.

The bar’s walls, ceilings and tables are made up of panels with projectors behind them, beaming different colours and images across the interior. It doesn’t sound particularly innovative, does it? But apparently the whole bar is "interactive". Put your glass on a table, and light will dance around its base actually sensing and reacting to your drink and touching the bar will shoot a beam of light upwards, signaling/annoying the barman. You can even select your own images to be displayed on the bar’s surfaces.

Sounds really great until you realise you’ll probably never get to set foot in the establishment. You have to be a member and numbers are extremely limited, which basically means "You’re not rich and/or you’re not a celeb. You’re not getting in". Shame.