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Computers That Bling and Break the Bank

 
Donna Fuscaldo
FOXBusiness
     

    Ever wonder what a celebrity’s laptop or cell phone looks like? Well, if you’re thinking a run-of-the-mill Dell (DELL) laptop or even a pricey Apple (AAPL) iPhone, think again. From diamonds to gold-plated to custom paint jobs, the sky is the limit if you have the cash.

    If you’ve got a couple grand burning a hole in your pocket we’ve got some over-the-top gadgets to spend it on. Check back every day as we bring you some of the most extravagant gadgets on the market.

    Computers That Bling

    Sure, getting the best components in your computer and laptop could cost you thousands of dollars, but that’s not all money can buy. Ever since Apple’s iPod came on the scene consumer electronics have become a fashion staple.  And what makes more of a fashion statement than a laptop covered in diamonds?

    Ego Lifestyles, a Dutch company that makes high-end consumer electronics, wowed gadget lovers a couple of years ago with the launch of its diamond-encrusted Tulip Ego laptop that reportedly sold for $350,000. The company sells a slew of extremely high-end laptops that can be customized to meet any customer’s whim. The diamond editions have 18 carat white gold ornaments set with 6.9 carat diamonds, while its custom designed laptop skins come in Italian leather, shark, Eel and Ray. The skins can include artwork designed by Ego’s in-house designer or a design set by hand with hundreds of Swarovski crystals.

    But not everyone wants their laptop covered in diamonds. In that case it may be time to turn to Falcon Northwest, the Medford, Ore., computer maker that counts celebrities and two royal families as customers. Falcon Northwest has an artist on staff that will give your laptop or desktop a custom paint job--think car quality but on a PC.  While the average build-to-order Falcon Northwest computer or laptop costs around $5,000, the company has designed a lot of $15,000 plus jobs.  And one Falcon Northwest custom computer was done in color shifting paint that cost $1,200 per pint. 

    While style does matter, at the end of the day for many it’s all about performance. And that’s where Alienware of Miami comes in. Alienware, a unit of Dell, makes high-end computers targeted toward gamers and other power users that require state-of-the-art graphics and processing power. While Alienware is also focused on the look of the PC, the company has built its name on the technology inside the PCs. Take the Area-51 ALX desktop computer, which starts at $4599 but can be configured to cost in excess of $10,000, depending on customization. Alienware has its own in-house research and development staff, which developed a liquid cooling system that enables Alienware to take the microprocessor clock speed to a higher level. Alienware was the first to include an Nvidia (NVDA) and ATI graphic processor on one mother board.  

    Voodoo, the gaming PC competitor to Alienware owned by Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) is also all about quality but won’t think twice about doing some personalization. The company once made a gold-plated PC and flight simulator for a customer in the Middle East. The PC alone cost $50,000.  Rahul Sood, CTO of H-P’s Voodoo unit said a lot of the pricey personalization requests having been coming from the Middle East in places like Dubai.

    Cell- Phones That Glitter & Shine

    Now that your PC is covered you’ll need a cell phone with the same stature. Not a problem since making super pricey handsets seems to be all the rage.

    If you have the big bucks -- the really big bucks -- you can get a cell phone covered in diamonds. Take Swiss luxury cell phone maker GoldVish, which sells the “le million” PIECE Unique handset that has a price tag of more than $1 million. The phone is made of white gold and is covered in 120 carats of diamonds. Oh yeah, it make phones calls too.

    It even made it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive and exclusive handset back in 2006. GoldVish also makes other cell phones that come with at least 150 grams of solid 18K golden casing.

    But GoldVish hasn’t cornered the market for ultra-pricey cell phones. Australian designer Peter Aloisson sells his $1.3 million Ancort Diamond Crypto Smartphone. The phone, made out of solid platinum, has an 18 carat rose gold logo and navigation key. The lines on each side of the phone boasts 25.5 carat princess cut diamonds with a total weight of around 25 carats.

    For those with more modest budgets there is the Nokia 8800 Arte Pink phone for EUR  85,000  of $135,00 which has more than 680 pink and white brilliant cut diamonds or the EUR 120,000 or $190,735 diamond encrusted iPhone.

     

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    No-Load Funds

    Some mutual funds want you to pay for the privilege of them (or your investment adviser) taking your money to invest. It's called a load, and it works like a cover charge to get into a nightclub. Luckily, there are such things as no-load funds. As the name implies, shares of these funds are sold without a fee paid to a broker or investment advisor.

    The entire amount you invest in no-load funds goes to work for your returns. On the other hand, with load funds, right off the bat you're charged commission (not to mention other fees incurred over the life of the investment). Let's say, for example, you invest $25,000 into a load fund that charges a 5% commission. This costs you $1,250 off the top, bringing your actual investment down to only $23,750.

    The often-cited horse race analogy argues against investing in load funds. Here's the logic behind it: Would you place a bet on a horse that had to start a race 200 yards behind the others? Well, maybe you would if you got a tip from a sketchy, trench coat-clad man in a dark alley. However, under most circumstances, it's not smart to put your money on that handicapped horse.

    But some argue that at times that man in the trench coat (aka your broker) knows more about the horses than you do, and has a better shot at picking a winner. Also, sometimes these fees are unavoidable because some funds are available only through investment advisers.

    Cost-benefit analysis can help determine when a load fund is worth it (in other words, when it will score you a load) and when it is better to "do it yourself" and avoid the fees. Load-fund fees range depending on share class and can cover a variety of costs, such as paper work and fund management.