Expensive Gizmos

Top 10 Most Expensive Divorces of All Time

2008-08-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

Today while searching Google for the keyword "Most expensive Divorces", I come several lists of the Top 10 most expensive divorces of all time from reputed sites like askmen, wikipedia, forbes and times magazine etc. All of them has different rankings. I've tried to compile them all here. Lets start with timesonline.com

Times Online states "We would note that many of these claims were later negotiated to lower figures and that all too frequently the final figure is, disappointingly, never disclosed." And here is the list:

£1 billion Sumner Redstone, head of media company Viacom, and Phyllis, 2002
£690m: David & Zoe Rowland (Property & investments) 2006
£500m: The Aga Khan, spiritual and general leader of the Ismaili Nizari Muslims & Princess Begum Inaara, 2004
£500m: Contruction magnate Shwan & Suzan Al-Mulla
£500m Adnan Khashoggi, former arms dealer, and Soraya, 1982
£300m: Chief Oladeinde Fernandez, the Central African Republic’s Ambassador to the United Nations & Aduke Fernandez 2007
£250m Paloma Picasso, perfume prodigy, and Rafael Lopez-Cambil, 1999
£135m Michael Jordan, basketball player, and Juanita, 2003
£100m Jack Welch of General Electric and Jane, 2003
£70m Steven Spielberg, film director, and Amy Irving, 1989

And Wikipedia says, "This is an incomplete list of the most expensive divorces known (in legal history) denominated in American dollars according to various media sources (figures are not adjusted for inflation)." And here is the list:

Rupert Murdoch's divorce from Anna Murdoch; reputedly "the most expensive divorce in history" at $1.7 billion;
Adnan Khashoggi's divorce from Soraya Khashoggi; estimated at $874 million;
Craig McCaw's divorce from Wendy McCaw; estimated to exceed $460 million;
Michael Jordan's divorce from Juanita Jordan; estimated to exceed $150 million and considered by Forbes Magazine to be "the most expensive celebrity divorce" in history;
Neil Diamond's divorce from Marcia Murphey; estimated at $150 million;
Harrison Ford's divorce from Melissa Mathison; estimated at $118 million;
Steven Spielberg's divorce from Amy Irving; estimated at $100 million;
Kevin Costner's divorce from Cindy Silva; estimated at $80 million;
Kenny Rogers divorce from Marianne Rogers; estimated at $60 million;
James Cameron's divorce from Linda Hamilton; estimated to exceed $50 million;
Paul McCartney's divorce from Heather Mills; estimated at $48.6 million;
Michael Douglas' divorce from Diandra Douglas; estimated at $45 million;
Ted Danson's divorce from Casey Coats; estimated at $30 million;
Lionel Richie's divorce from Diane Richie; estimated at $20 million;
Mick Jagger's divorce from Jerry Hall; estimated between $15 and $25 million.

Most Expensive Painting

2008-05-06T15:41:00.000-07:00

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I is a painting by Gustav Klimt completed in 1907. According to press reports it was sold for US$135 million to Ronald Lauder for his Neue Galerie in New York City in June 2006, which made it at that time the most expensive painting ever sold. It has been on display at the gallery since July 2006. In June 2006 New York's Neue Galerie is reported to have paid $135m for the fifth looted Klimt portrait, Adele Bloch-Bauer I. Adele Bloch-Bauer II sold for almost $88m in November 2006 at Christie's.

Klimt took three years to complete the painting. It measures 138 x 138 cm and is made of oil and gold on canvas, showing elaborate and complex ornamentation.

Article Source: Wikipedia.

Click here for the list of top ten most expensive paintings

Most Expensive Book

2007-10-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Codex Leicester is the most expensive book ever sold. The Codex Leicester is a collection of largely scientific writings by Leonardo da Vinci.

Physically, the Codex takes the form of 18 sheets of paper, each folded in half and written on both sides, forming the complete 72-page document. At one time the sheets were bound together, but they are now displayed separately. It was handwritten in Italian by Leonardo, using his characteristic mirror writing, and supported by copious drawings and diagrams.

In 1994 Bill Gates bought it at auction for $30.8 million, making it the most expensive book ever, and renamed it the Codex Leicester. The Codex is put on public display once a year in a different city around the world. In 2004 it was exhibited in the Château de Chambord, and in 2005 in Tokyo. One page was exhibited at the Seattle Museum of Flight's 2006 exhibit "Leonardo da Vinci: Man, Inventor, Genius." From June to August 2007, the codex will be the centerpiece of a two month exhibition hosted by the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin, Ireland.

You can find more about Codex Leicester at www.odranoel.de
Article Sources: Forbes.com and Wikipedia.com

Most Expensive Speaker

2007-09-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

Now we're just getting ridiculous. Joining the "$1 million" club is these Grand Enigma speakers by Karma. The Enigma System was a custom project designed and build by O.L.S. in a huge cellar in Belgium and has become a statement in the high-end world. Seeing as how there's only the one set, it really doesn't matter what the features are (it's not like you could get your own), but I'm still really curious! Only thing that matters is some homeowner from Belgium has chosen to spunk $1,000,000.00 on his audio system. Just what does a set of speakers have to do to be worth that much? They look huge, but other than that I'm skeptical (I don't see any diamond accents...) and it seems feature specifics are hard to come by. I've tried very hard to get its specifications but failed.

Excerpts from Luxist and ofcourse Kharma.com

Most Expensive Perfume

2007-09-22T03:09:00.000-07:00

With a price tag of $215,00 for 16.9 0z " Clive Christian's Imperial Majesty " is the most expensive perfume in the world. Imperial Majesty is a limited edition of a Clive Christian signature scent. Sold simply as No. 1, the fragrance is priced at $2,150 an ounce. But the reason Imperial Majesty costs so much is that Christian, a British designer-turned-perfumer, poured 16.9 ounces of No. 1 into a Baccarat crystal bottle, stuck a five-carat diamond into the 18-carat gold collar. Of the five bottles released for sale (the others were kept for Christian's archives), three have sold. You better hurry coz only 2 left.

Clive Christian's Imperial Majesty: $215,000 (16.90z)
Australian dollar: $285,000
Canadian dollar: $245,846
Euro: €177,727
Pound: £115,000
Rupee: Rs9,496,550

Only ten of these collectors' edition bottles were made: they're Baccarat crystal with a solid, 18-carat gold collar with a five-carat, brilliant cut, white diamond. The bottle is filled with nearly 17 ounces of No. 1, Clive Christian's signature scent, which has been widely marketed as the world's most expensive perfume.

Source: Forbes and Clive.com.

Most Expensive Film

2007-09-18T01:41:00.000-07:00

This film's budget is officially $258 million, which makes it one of the most expensive films ever made in nominal U.S. dollars. And the award goes to Spiderman III. Despite the official claim industry insiders claim that Sony spent $350 million or more on production alone. With marketing and promotion factored in, the total price tag will approach half a billion dollars—positioning Spider-Man 3 as the most expensive movie of all time. (Cleopatra, the 1963 epic that has long held the title of priciest picture, had an inflation-adjusted budget of $290 million. Cleopatra was made with a official budget of $44 million in 1963)

SpiderMan III has grossed $890,449,338 and counting... (not a bad investment) and this figure makes it 12th in the list of highest grossing films of all time, as well.

The worlds most expensive iPod

2007-09-14T04:33:00.000-07:00

Now that's what i call a I-Pod. This is the most expensive i-pod till date. Made by Heyerdahl Juvelèr / Norway and they say "to show our customers that we where able to combine solid handcrafting with modern technology."

The world’s most expensive MP3 player and earplugs made of solid 18 karat white and pink gold. Hand set with 430 diamonds. Total of 4,30 carat. Price RSP = US$ 41.000, - / € 31.000

Specifications:

Number of production:	1 pcs. / Special edition / Not for commercial sale.
Produced for Heyerdahl by:	Diaro Digital Design - Robert de Brueijs / The Netherlands / www.diaro.nl
3D production:	CAD / CAM 3D design / Rhinoceros
Wax model made by:	Solidcape T66Bt2 Wax printer.
Casting method:	Vacumcasting
Diamond setting:	Handcrafted micro Pavè setting.
Details engraved:	Laser engraved details

Source: Heyerdahl.no

Most Expensive Motorcycle

2007-09-11T00:37:00.000-07:00

Dodge Tomahawk is the most expensive motorcycle in the world. It can cost upto $555.000 each.

The Dodge Tomahawk is a concept motorcycle produced by Dodge. Featuring the 500 hp 8.3 L V10 engine from the Dodge Viper. The motorcycle has two front wheels and two rear wheels to aid in turning and stability at highest rate of speed. While the Tomahawk is not street legal, it could, theoretically, be ridden. Chrysler sold nine replicas through Neiman Marcus (Neiman Marcus is an upscale, specialty retail department store, operated by the Neiman Marcus Group in the United States), for up to $555,000 each.

The motorcycles cannot be legally driven on public roads. A Chrysler spokesman told Reuters they were meant as rolling sculptures - but they can probably still be driven on private roads. The Dodge Tomahawk can reach 60 miles an hour in about 2.5 seconds, and has a theoretical top speed of nearly 400 mph. Each pair of wheels is separated by a few inches and each wheel has an independent suspension. Bernhard said four wheels were necessary to handle the power from the engine.

5 Most Expensive cellphones

2007-09-05T00:39:00.000-07:00

GoldVish Le Million - $1.3 million

This is THE Most Expensive Cell Phone in the history of mankind. It was exhibited at the three-day Millionaire’s Fair in Cannes, France to certify the sale of the Most Expensive Cell Phone in the world. Also nicknamed ‘Le Million’ Piece Unique which was bought by a Russian businessman for his wife for 1 million Euros ($1.3 million)!

Diamond Crypto Smartphone - $1.3 million

Looks like even the most expensive cellphone has its own competitors in the form of the Diamond Crypto Smartphone. Designed by Peter Aloisson, a renowned luxury accessories maker, this phone sports a price tag that is double that of a Ferarri Enzo - a cool $1.3 million. The justification behind the high price lies in the cover that comes in white and pink gold and embedded with 50 diamonds, where 10 of them are blue in color. Encryption technology is also included for an added layer of security to provide information to the relevant authorities in case of kidnapping, blackmail, or even financial racketeering.

Bucheron for Vertu Cobra - $ 310,000

Work at Goldman Sachs and/or Morgan Stanley and have a couple extra hundred thousand/million dollars to spend? Then feast your eyes on the Vertu Signature Cobra. For a cool $310,000 you can purchase... a cellphone? Sure, the phone is decked out with precious gemstones (one pear-cut diamond, one round white diamond two emerald eyes and 439 rubies

Sony Ericsson Black Diamond - $ 300,000

Singaporean industrial designer Jaren Goh's mocked up an extremely stylish concept for a Sony Ericsson cameraphone he's calling Black Diamond. The polycarbonate mirror finish skin, metal detailing and form factor are all rather sleek, but the coolest feature has got to be the OLED borderless screen. Very sexy! Unlike the other phones in this list, this cellular phone is actually a power-packed phone that comes equipped with 400Mhz Intel Xscale CPU, 4-MP digital camera, touch screen feature, SIP technology for VOIP, 2.0″ 256K TFT screen and IEEE 802.11g WiFi support. (Source - Gizmodo.com)

Vertu Diamond - $ 88,000

All platinum with encrusted diamonds, limited edition, only 200 were made. As the other Vertu phones, give access to the special concierge service. (source - Scribd.com)

Note: List inspired from Scribd.com with fresh inputs from several sites like Gizmodo.com etc.

Most Expensive Music Video

2007-08-31T02:20:00.000-07:00

"Scream"/"Childhood" is the most expensive music video ever made. It was a 1995 hit single for singer-songwriters Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. "Scream" became the first song in Billboard history to debut in the top five of the pop chart. Mr. Jackson spend $7,000,000 to make this video, the most expensive music video of all time.

Both songs were made into music videos. "Scream" remains as one of Michael's most well-received music videos. Directed by Mark Romanek, the video has a heavy sci-fi theme with features of anime and pop culture. The "Scream" video went on to win several MTV Video Music Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video. At $7,000,000 in expense, the video is the most expensive video of all time.

Most Expensive Cell Phone

2007-08-11T08:08:00.000-07:00

Most Expensive Cell Phone

This is THE most Most Expensive Cell Phone in the history of mankind. It was exhibited at the three-day Millionaire’s Fair in Cannes, France to certify the sale of the Most Expensive Cell Phone in the world. Also nicknamed ‘Le Million’ Piece Unique which was bought by a Russian businessman for his wife for 1 million Euros ($1.2 million)!

Created by GoldVish SA, a Geneva based luxury communication goods company, the cell phone is made of 18-carat white gold, mounted with 1800 (totaling 120-carats) VVS-1 graded diamonds and equipped with the latest in mobile technology. It was designed by Emmanuel Gueit and made as an addition to the ‘Illusion collection’. ‘Le Million’ Piece Unique is a limited edition item and is only available on special request. For those who wants cheap cellular phones, the company has 15 other models of luxury cell phones, which start at $24,000.

Check out the Million-Euro Cell Phone and other products from GoldVish at www.goldvish.com.

Most Expensive Hotel Room or Suite

2007-08-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

The Atlantis, Bahamas
Atlantis Bridge Suite
$25,000 per night

The Atlantis Bridge Suite has the distinction of being the most expensive hotel suite in the world and ...it's $25,000 a night only. The Bridge Suite is located on top of a bridge that connects the two Royal Towers buildings, so it overlooks the entire resort and sea.

The ten-room suite is decorated in red, black and gold & lots of gold. Suite comes with its own butler, bar lounge as well as entertainment center. The master bedroom has a sitting area, his-and-hers closets, and hand-painted linens. The bathrooms have chaise lounges, marble baths, and dolphin fixtures. There are two separate master bathrooms, (just in case you and your wife or girlfriend decide to sleep separately). The kitchen also has its own entrance so the butler or cook never bothers you.

The Most Expensive Domain Names

2007-07-28T01:28:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO - Gary Kremen has parted ways with Sex.com after officially selling it on Jan. 12 to Boston-based Escom LLC.

While $14 million has been circulated as the selling price, several sources confirmed that amount to be incorrect. Andrew Miller, a partner in Domain Name Acquisition Group – the Boston based Internet real estate developer and prospector that initially optioned the domain from Kremen and ultimately helped put together the deal with Escom – termed previous reports “99 percent inaccurate.”

Neither Escom representatives nor Kremen would reveal the exact number, but the sale involved a combination of cash and equity.

A source close to the negotiations suggested that a more accurate price may be found in the lawsuit filed in September 2005 by a Philadelphia-based company attempting the purchase Sex.com from Domain Name Acquisition Group. The lawsuit listed the agreed-upon sale price as $11.4 million, which is nothing to sneeze at.

“This is one of the most significant deals in Internet history,” says Hal Bringman, a spokesman for Escom.

Before that Business.com which was resold in 1999 for $7.5 million, according to Guinness World Records, appears to have been surpassed as the most expensive domain name, and not by theRecordBreakingDomain.com which was attempting to become the most expensive domain name in a media-move by selling for $12,000,001.

The list of Most expensive domain names (in Euros):


	.com domains	Est. price
	sex.com	11.000.000
	business.com	6.000.000
	asseenontv.com	4.000.000
	altavista.com	2.640.000
	Wine.com	2.400.000
	creditcards.com	2.200.000
	auto.com	1.800.000
	vip.com	1.120.000

Based on reports from:

AZonline and SpeedNames

The World's Most Expensive MP3 Player - US$20,000

2007-07-28T01:14:00.000-07:00

German audio and storage company TrekStor, has received an order from Russian-Canadian billionaire and owner of the Midland Formula 1 team, Alex Shnaider, to develop the world's most expensive MP3 player. This luxurious piece of jewelry, valued at approx. US$20,000, is cast in 750 gold and adorned with numerous diamonds and a valuable chain. The idea to develop the world's most expensive MP3 player came to Shnaider while negotiating a sponsorship deal with TrekStor CEO, Daniel Szmigiel. Shnaider was so fascinated by the i.Beat organix – a handy, 40g player with full-bodied sound and winner of eleven accolades – that he placed a special order for the unique, custom-made device on the spot.

Alex Shnaider, 3rd from the left (in dark formal suit)

To transform the i.Beat organix into a truly one-off accessory, Shnaider com-missioned manufacturer TrekStor to create a particularly magnificent and valuable piece of jewelry. He specified that the casing of the organix be cast in 750 gold (18 karat) and adorned with 63 diamonds (one-karat). The player was also to be embellished with a small chain that includes aquamarine gems. Jewelers Wenthe in Mannheim put over 100 hours of painstaking handiwork into the exquisite gadget. "We feel very honored that our atelier was entrusted with this challenging task," says Dieter Wüst, proprietor of Atelier Wenthe. "We invested a great deal of time and effort and are now very proud of our unique artifact."

original story published at: GizMag

World's Most Expensive Camera

2007-07-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

This is most expensive camera in the world. In this day and age, camera makers are vying for the rank of the best by rendering superlative features that are constantly out doing each other day after day. But here is a camera discovered from a dusty attic that is making news. Called "Daguerreotype," it is a wooden sliding box camera produced by the Paris company Susse Freres in 1839.

Discovered as part of an inheritance in Germany, the antique piece will allow photography enthusiasts rewrite history. Westlicht, a private photo gallery and auction house in Vienna, plans to auction off this piece of history on May 26. Believed to be the world's oldest commercially manufactured camera, Westlicht said the Vienna camera has never been restored.

Up to now, experts said that apart from some documents there was no proof that the so-called "Daguerreotype," a wooden sliding box camera produced by the Paris company Susse Freres in 1839, really existed. Discovered as part of an inheritance in Germany, the antique piece will allow photography enthusiasts rewrite history.

The camera belongs to a US-based scholar and was inherited from his father, a technical photography professor at Munich University. The starting bid is $132,000, but the final price for the 168-year-old gadget is expected to be way past a million euros ($1,329,000). This makes it the most expensive camera in the world.

Invented by French chemist Lois Daguerre, a daguerreotype is an early type of photograph. It produces a direct image on a polished silver surface that bears a coating of silver halide particles, deposited by iodine bromide or chlorine vapours. As there was no negative original like in modern photography, no copies of pictures could be made.

Technical Specifications
- 1 gazillion Megapixels
- 1 Tripod
- 1 Black curtain
- 1 Free top hat with every camera sold (probably)
- 1 Lens cap
- No Zoom
- No Autofocus
- No Red-eye
- No Image stabilization
- No Noise reduction
- No GPS EXIF information
- No Battery
- No Carrying Case

Original Story at: www.notelay.com

coming soon:

expensive video camera
expensive digital cameras

News Trends: Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote

2007-07-21T05:40:00.000-07:00

News Trends: Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote

Most Expensive Car

2007-07-19T07:43:00.000-07:00

The Most Expensive Car in the World : Bugatti Veyron 16.4

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 is currently the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive street-legal full production car in the world, with a proven top speed of 407.5 km/h (253 mph), though several faster or more expensive vehicles have been produced on a limited basis. It reached full production in September 2005. The car is built by Volkswagen AG subsidiary Bugatti Automobiles SAS in its Molsheim (Alsace, France) factory and is sold under the Italian/French Bugatti marque. It is named after French racing driver Pierre Veyron, who won the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939 while racing for the original Bugatti firm.
source: wikipedia

Specifications:

Price Range: $1,200,000
Body/seats: coupe/2
Base engine: 8.0-liter quad-turbo dohc 64V W-16, 987 bhp
Layout: M/awd
Length (in.): 175.7
Weight (lb): est 4160
Mpg, city/hwy: est 10/12
Side airbags: std
ABS: std

This makes Bugatti Veyron 16.4, world's most expensive car .

Most Expensive Watches

2007-07-19T05:55:00.000-07:00

worlds most expensive watches by Patek Philippe 1933

Watches are almost the only piece of jewelery men wears. There are many expensive men watches . But how far one can go to buy one? Now look at this piece of jewelery. In December 1999, one of the most complicated watches ever made became the most expensive watch ever sold when it was hammered down for $11 million at Sotheby's.

This exquisite piece of jewelery was made by Patek Philippe exclusively for New York financier Henry Graves Jr. It took three years to design and five year to produce.

The gold pocket watch, which featured 24 complications. (Complications are mechanical functions of the watch other than the hours, minutes and seconds.) When completed in 1933, the watch had a different horological function for each hour of the day and included a chart of the nighttime sky over Graves' home in New York.

The Graves watch had a presale estimate of $3 million to $5 million, and sold for $11,003,500 to an anonymous collector. With this fact, this watch makes into the worlds most expensive watches list.

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Piaget Limelight Polo Large Diamond Watch #GOA27018

When talking about expensive men watches , another proud entry from the modern world is Piaget Limelight Polo, large model. Case, dial and bracelet in 18k white gold set with baguette-cut diamonds (51.9 carats). Four hundred and ninety eight baguette-cut diamonds compose an exceptional adornment with this "Haute Joaillerie" Piaget polo watch.

Case, wristband and dial are set by hand by the master craftsman of Piaget's Geneva workshop, in the finest tradition of prestige jewelery. Each watch requires more than 600 hours of careful attention. Every diamond meticulously selected and skillfully cut to guarantee maximal brilliance.

And the Price is $894,000.00 only.

These are the most expensive men watches in the world.