A Cellphone With a $7,900 Price Tag
天价手机
On Wednesday at the Berry Hill Galleries on the Upper East Side, the latest Vertu smartphone, the Constellation Quest, was launched.
最近，最新款韦图智能手机Constellation Quest的发布会在纽约上东城的柏利希尔画廊举行。
It comes in a few metal varieties. There is the pink or black sapphire, which will set you back a mere $7,900. One in yellow gold retails for about $25,000.
这款手机有几种不同的金属外壳。粉色或黑色蓝宝石屏幕款售价为7900美元，还有一款金黄色的则在25,000美元左右。
"That's how much it costs?'asked the actor Adrian Grenier, who was trying one out.
“这玩意儿要这么贵吗？”演员格雷尼尔一边摆弄着手机，一边问道，
"Does it drive for you?""If it could type for me and think for me and get the dry cleaning, I would consider it,"said the fashion designer Peter Som.
“难道它能帮你开车？” “如果这手机能为我打字，帮我思考问题，帮我把衣服拿去干洗，我可能会考虑买一部。
"It is very pretty, and I could see wearing it as a brooch."
”时装设计师索姆说， “它很漂亮，可以用作胸针。 ”
"What's the concept of a Vertu phone?"asked the financier Dennis Paul.
“韦图手机的理念是什么？”金融家保罗问道，
"To own the most expensive thing that ever lived? Maybe it's a status symbol in the Middle East or China, but I don't fit that.
“就是让你拥有最昂贵的奢侈品？也许在中东或者中国这是一个地位的象征，可它不适合我。
I'm one of those people who are cheap. My friends will tell you that."
我习惯用便宜货，我的朋友都知道。 ”
Casey Gorman, the managing director for Vertu in the Americas, took a reporter for a tour of the less expensive model.
戈尔曼，韦图美洲区总经理拉着记者去看一款比较便宜的手机。
"Look at the sapphire keys, the sapphire screen,"Ms. Gorman said.
“看看这些蓝宝石按键、蓝宝石屏幕。
She then went on to discuss the device"s concierge features, which are free for the first year and $2,000 per annum following.
她接着又介绍了手机的礼宾服务功能，这项服务第一年免费，之后每年收费2000美元。 ”
"For instance, it's location aware. You type that you're in New York and it lets you know where to go.
“这手机有地图功能。你输入你在纽约，手机就会告诉你有哪些地方可去。
'Mingling nearby was Perry Oosting, the company 's president. He explained that Vertu has sold 300,000 units in eight years.
”站在他们身旁的是韦图公司总裁乌斯汀。他说，“我们在八年时间里售出了30万部韦图手机。
He was asked why anyone would buy one."Luxury is not about rational, it's about the emotional. Luxury is the liberty of choice.
”别人问他为什么会有人买这种手机，他的回答是：奢侈和理性无关，这是个情感方面的问题。奢侈就是选择的自由。
"One person who understands that choice is, apparently, the pop musician Seal. He has gone through six Vertu phones and is the company's new U.S. brand ambassador.
能够理解这种所谓的“选择的自由”的人非流行歌手希尔莫属了。他买过六部韦图手机，如今是该公司新任的美国品牌大使。
He was drinking a glass of water in an adjacent room.
他正在隔壁房间里喝水。 “
"I'm attracted to passion and courage, 'Seal explained, fondling the Constellation Quest he was given earlier in the evening.
吸引我的是其中蕴含的激情和勇气” ，希尔一边温柔地摆弄着当晚早些时候拿到的Constellation Quest手机一边说。
