The Times has a story covering the gadgets of the rich and indulgent, highlighting Sony’s new luxury Qualia brand which is debuting in the States next week, mentioning the platinum-clad Vertu cellphone and a hand-made $125,000 sapphire and diamond-encrusted Motorola handset [right], as well. More than just selling outrageously priced electronics, the Qualia stores are “meticulously calibrating every aspect to exploit and influence the psychology of consumerism,” which isn’t really any different than any other store, except that, you know, Best Buy doesn’t pump a designer scent into the air, give you free tickets to a Springsteen concert, or hand-write you a letter of thanks when you purchase a $50 DVD player, oddly enough.
Read – Sony’s Qualia Home Page (Japanese) [Thanks, Brady!]
