AT THE END OF OCTOBER IN THE HOTEL ARMANI DUBAI, LOCATED IN THE WORLD'S HIGHEST BUILDING OF THE WORLD “TOWER OF THE CALIPHES” THE PRESENTATION OF THE NEW VERTU - SMARTPHONE VERTU CONSTELLATION QUEST. Undoubtedly, VERTU'S EXIT TO THE SMARTPHONE MARKET IS A SIGNAL EVENT, MORE THAN THE BASIC DIRECTIONS OF THE COMPANY HAVE BEEN EXCLUSIVELY ONLY MOBILE PHONES OF THE STANDARD FORMAT, I HAVE WARNED.
The Constellation Quest presentation was held with the participation of a number of invited VIP-guests, representatives of local and international media, Vertu users in the United Arab Emirates. Prior to the Dubai presentation, a similar event took place in London, in the Lancaster Palace, in the presence of celebrities such as Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey and Australian singer Holly Valance. Peru Austing, President of Vertu, arrived in Dubai to present a novelty in the UAE, accompanied by Hatch Hutchison, head of concept development and design at Vertu, who kindly agreed to answer some of our questions.
Gentlemen, what does releasing Constellation Quest mean to you and your team?
Perry: The appearance of the smartphone in the Constellation line is not positioned by us as an event that is out of the ordinary. This is also a unique Vertu style - to present new models “only” as the next link in a continuous chain of translational movements. In this new product, as always, we focus on the materials used in the manufacture of the model, as well as carefully selected components and manual assembly, guaranteeing the highest quality of the device.
Hutch: We are pleased with what we did. Constellation Quest is a model with a QWERTY keyboard, back panel coated with finest leather and metal trim. The device is a monoblock, its case is made of expensive materials, including gold, steel, sapphire crystal and so on. Since Quest is a non-touch smartphone, and Vertu is a “luxury division” of Nokia, it is quite natural that the new product works on the basis of the Symbian S60 3rd Edition platform.
What else is in the Vertu Constellation Quest, which is not in other popular smartphones?
Hutch: Constellation Quest, designed for a true citizen of the world, is the most functional phone from the entire Vertu line to date. Among its main characteristics are exclusive ringtones, the exact time function with its indication in two time zones, which is necessary when traveling. Vertu's pride has always been its sapphire crystal keyboard. Constellation Quest is no exception, each button of its keyboard is carefully polished, has a decorative transparent coating, which is applied in several layers through a silk stencil. The branded "sapphire surface" repeats the structure of leather and ceramics used in this model, which looks especially impressive when illuminated through a 0.25 mm diameter hole drilled by a laser beam. The screen of the novelty is made of the purest and most transparent sapphire polycrystal, grown specifically for Vertu.
Thin stitched leather on the battery cover and elegant engraving inside the phone continue the brand's unique design traditions. Incredibly soft skin of impeccable quality is carefully selected to absolutely match the desired texture. Even dyes for it undergo special testing - you need to make sure that they do not affect the ability of the phone to receive a signal.
Each of our phones, hand-assembled in England and brought to perfection, bears the proud signature of its creator. If we talk about the technical "stuffing", then the Constellation Quest luxury smartphone can operate in four GSM and WCDMA bands, which will allow it to be used on all continents: in Europe, North America and, for example, in Japan. New to support Vertu and Ovi Maps services, it is equipped with a GPS receiver, Wi-Fi adapter, 3.5mm audio output, a camera with two LED flash units that can record video, as well as a MicroSD expansion slot with a pre-installed 32GB memory card.
Where will the new Vertu Constellation Quest be available?
Hutch: We noted that over the past year, official Vertu stores open on average every two weeks. The original Vertu smartphone can now be purchased at approximately 700 official representative offices in 70 countries, including the UAE. Depending on the materials used, the Constellation Quest model will cost from USD 7910 to 27380.
Hutch, what other privileges does a Vertu smartphone user get?
Having a Vertu Constellation Quest means having more than just a phone. In a world dominated by fuss, Vertu offers its users a thoughtful, independent lifestyle support service. Many exclusive services become available with your Vertu smartphone, including those such as the Vertu Concierge, which you can contact with the click of a special button (anywhere in the world, at any time of the day or night, you can expect to be consulted in your chosen language ); or Vertu channel “City guides” - a series of unrelated guides, the information for which is carefully checked and automatically displayed on the phone screen as soon as you arrive in a certain city (over 140 cities of the world are covered as part of this service). And so on. We are sure that Vertu users in the Middle East will like our new Constellation Quest, in any case, we have already received the first orders for it.
