vertu

1 love of or taste for fine objects of art [syn: virtu, connoisseurship]

2 artistic quality [syn: virtu]

French

Pronunciation

Noun

fr-noun m

1. virtue

Vertu is a British-based manufacturer and retailer of luxury mobile phones. The company is an independently run, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Finnish mobile phone manufacturer Nokia.

Concept

The concept of the company is to make mobile phones in the same vein as luxury watch manufacturers like Rolex, IWC and Patek Philippe. The most expensive model it has ever made is the Signature Cobra, at US$310,000 (~€217,000); the most expensive regular model is the Signature Diamond at US$88,000 (~€62,000).

The mobiles themselves are made from very expensive materials such as gold, sapphire (for the mobile screen), rubies (for the bearings) and fine leather. Plus, each mobile is hand-made in its factories in Church Crookham, United Kingdom

The company is headquartered in the United Kingdom with offices in Paris, New York, Beverly Hills, Singapore, Frankfurt and Hong Kong. Vertu's CEO is Alberto Torres, and the Principal Designer is Frank Nuovo. The company now has over 400 employees.

Distribution

To keep the value of the brand, Vertu mobiles are only available in its own branded stores, leading department stores such as Harrods and Selfridges in London, and authorised retailers. Vertu’s flagship store opened in 2002 in Paris and then soon after in Singapore. There are now over 320 retail outlets.

Concierge Service

One of the services when one acquires a Vertu mobile, is a year free concierge service called "Vertu Concierge". It is accessed through a special button, the "Concierge key" at the side of every phone. The service comprises a team of assistants to help the owner around the clock.

See also

• Goldvish Luxury phone
• Mobiado phone

External links

• Vertu - official website
• Brand articles:
  • Vertu Is Its Own Reward (TIME Stylewatch article)
  • New Nokia Phones for Richie Rich (WIRED magazine)
  • Vertua - upwardly mobile (brandchannel)
• Reviews:
  • Vertu review (mobile-review)
  • Vertu Signature 2006 review (Mobiledia)
  • Vertu Constellation review (Sybarites)
  • Vertu Ascent Ti review (Sybarites)