Dior launches new fashion phone

Amid the trend of fashion labels presenting their own mobile devices, French luxury brand Dior has announced its latest gadget that might be something of interest for fashion and technology fans alike.

The big news about the second generation of the Dior collection is that each of the five different phones will come with its own mini-version (called 'mini My Dior') that -- placed in the palm of your hand or attached to your bag -- operates through Bluetooth technology up to 15 meters away from the actual device. What this means is that calls can be made and answered on the go without removing the larger phone from the handbag.

This new gadget unsurprisingly comes at a high price: with platings such as diamond, gold, sapphire or mother of pearl, the phones will range between $6,500 and $13,400.

New Dior Bluetooth headsets have also just been launched; they are already available at diorcouture.com in black and in white for $470 each.

Dior's announcement follows the news that Italian luxe label Armani will release its new generation of mobile phones together with Samsung later this year.

Prada launched one of the most successful fashion phones together with electronics company LG in 2007, while Samsung collaborated with various clothes brands previously, such as Anna Sui, Betsey Johnson, Versace's Versus branch or Diane von Furstenberg. LG and Samsung rival Sony Ericsson teamed up with Italian design duo Dolce & Gabbana earlier this year for a gold-plated edition of one of its clamshell phones, called Jalou.

Other designers, most recently Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger or Donna Karan, are increasingly discovering the mobile device through iPhone applications.

Site: www.diorcouture.com/dior-phone.html