Lifestyle

[winston]

Waste or worth? $10,000 smartphone By Ramy Inocencio

Hong Kong (CNN) -- If new is a necessity, tech is your god and money no object then a $10,000 Vertu smartphone will probably catch your eye.

The British-based luxury mobile phone maker unveiled the Vertu Ti this week. Its sapphire-crystal screen is virtually scratchproof, says the company, while a titanium casing helps keep data safe and sound.

But in this 21st century mobile phone paradigm in which consumers buy a new phone every few years -- and where new products roll out every year (or even less) -- does it make sense to splurge on a swank smartphone with a price tag closer to that of a small car or several months' apartment rent?

"If you are interested in something which is different, unique" then this device might be for you, said Vertu CEO Perry Oosting to CNN's Nina dos Santos.

The Vertu Ti (pronounced "tee-eye") emphasizes the value of "durable" over "disposable" materials that a consumer might expect from the luxury category, added Oosting. "More the touch and the feel and the sensory experience."

And with the sensory experience comes luxury services that go beyond that of a mainstream smartphone including a concierge service at the push of a button and encrypted voice calls to protect your company trade secrets.

Yet another selling point is the software that powers the Ti.

Former Vertu phones ran on the now-passé Symbian software. The Vertu Ti, meanwhile, runs on an Android operating system in a sign of its separation from former parent company Nokia.

The flailing Finnish mobile giant lost $2.7 billion in the first nine months of 2012 and announced last June that it would sell Vertu to private equity group EQT VI.

"We live in a world where there's open operating systems that are quite open to use," explained Oosting on the new angle to Android. "Android is just delivering great software. It's very democratic."

But while the operating system is open to all, the costly Vertu clearly is not.

Around the world, only about 320,000 Vertu smartphones have been sold, said CNN's dos Santos, a number that pales in comparison to Samsung and Apple, the global smartphone market leaders.

For all of 2012, Samsung sold more than 215 million smartphones for a 30.3% global market share and top ranking, according to IDC Worldwide. Apple sold nearly 136 million smartphones in 2012 for a 19.1% slice of global market share. Even Vertu's former parent company Nokia sold more than 35 million smartphones last year.

But Vertu's CEO simply says he does not envisage the masses talking and texting on a Ti.

"Absolutely not. That's never our drive. We're not after market share. We're not after high quantities," said Oosting. "We want to deliver an authentic, made in Hampshire, made by one person, a unique proposition that is a true sensory experience in terms of the experience of the device."

And consumers who buy the Ti will surely want to avoid losing their pricy purchase.

Then again, if they can afford one, they might be well-positioned to afford a replacement.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/02/13/busin ... index.html

[winston]

Pair of Japan melons fetch $15,700

AFP - A pair of cantaloupe melons sold at auction in Japan on Friday for 1.6 million yen ($15,730), one of the highest prices ever paid for the coveted orange-fleshed fruit.


http://www.france24.com/en/20130524-pai ... etch-15700

[winston]

Celine Dion Selling her Megamansions

http://www.bornrich.com/celine-dion-sel ... sions.html

[behappyalways]

各种茶叶的作用——喜欢喝茶的童鞋不要喝错了！
http://bbs.wenxuecity.com/health/468658.html

[behappyalways]

The $12,500 24-carat gold slide for your kid
http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/07/luxury/ ... d=HP_River

[winston]

How To Tip Everyone In Your Life This Holiday Season

By Business Insider

http://www.thetradingreport.com/2014/12 ... ay-season/

[winston]

Luxury Watches on a Budget

The website A Blog to Watch just featured a piece on acquiring, trading, and maintaining luxury timepieces... for a fraction of the cost others will pay.

Remember, a watch doesn’t have to be new to be luxurious. Nor do you need to upgrade to a brand-new watch when a simple strap change can liven up your existing timepiece.

You can save hundreds—even thousands—on your next fine watch by reading Seven Ways to Survive As a Watch Lover on a Budget, for free, right here.

Regular Daily readers understand something lost on most people: You don’t need a billion dollars to live as well as a billionaire. You don’t even need a million dollars. You just need to learn how to appreciate value. That’s the secret to “living rich.”

Mark reveals the tricks to buying luxury on the cheap—from suits to mattresses to cars—inside Living Rich: How to Live As Well As a Billionaire on a Middle-Class Budget.

Source: The Palm Beach Letter

http://www.ablogtowatch.com/7-ways-surv ... z3RYjZQJ8L

[winston]

How to Get the Most Out of Life By Dr. Steve Sjuggerud

Go out and live your life! Right now! Don't put it off!

We all want to be around as long as possible. But ask yourself, am I getting the most out of life while I'm here?

Almost six years ago, my doctor died. He was young and fit, in his mid-forties. Best doctor I've ever had, bar none. Acted like I was his only patient. Listened like nobody else. Great to be around. Cancer took him.

You're only here once. So make sure you live your life. Make it happen.

This investing stuff is important, of course. But what's the point of collecting a huge pile of money and not living? You can't take it with you... As the saying goes, "I've never seen a hearse with luggage racks."

Here's what I consider living my life...

A while back, I spent my morning like most mornings... writing an issue of Daily Wealth. But my afternoon consisted of surfing with a famous big-wave surfer, followed by dinner with one of my favorite investment analysts, Meb Faber.

A week before that, I spent an afternoon driving on Porsche's private racetrack in Leipzig, Germany.

And the week before that, as my own summer trip, I spent the mornings working and the afternoons and evenings building an acoustic guitar with a guitar-builder friend in Indiana.

I'm working. But I'm living, too. You can call it a Bucket List or "checking the box." Whatever you want to call it, I'm just cramming all my living in.
So get out there. There's no guarantee of tomorrow.

Source: ETR

[winston]

You Have To See This $100,000,000 Home, You Won’t Believe It

By Michael Snyder

Source: The Economic Collapse Blog

http://www.thetradingreport.com/2015/05 ... elieve-it/

[winston]

The Doomsday Bunker For Billionaires

By Tyler Durden

http://www.thetradingreport.com/2015/06 ... lionaires/