Almost one year after the original Apple iPhone went on sale, Apple has unveiled a new 3G version of its popular iPhone that will go on sale on 11 July.

The addition of 3G support is a big win : This will allow users to surf the internet at faster speeds than is currently possible on the original iPhone. If data speeds hold up as Jobs demonstrated, the new iPhone really will put the internet in your pocket.

It will also feature built-in GPS technology, which will enable users to use their iPhone as a satellite-navigation device both in-car and on-foot using Google Maps.

iPhone 3G isn’t perfect, but there’s a lot to like here : Though the iPhone 3G is thinner at the edges than its predecessor.

The 8GB model will come in black only, while Apple promises the 16GB version in back and white.

In the US the phone retails for US$199 for the 8GB model (down from $399) and US$299 for the 16GB version (down from $599).

Indeed, Steve Jobs said that one of the main reasons people had given for not buying the handset was that it was too expensive.

It will be rolled out to 70 countries worldwide over the next few months.

More than six million iPhones had been sold globally since the device first went on sale in the US in July 2007.

This post is really meaningful to me. When I was a student, I used to live in Juan Les Pins, everyday, on my way to school, I was fascinated by this huge abandoned hotel and I really wanted to explore it. Le Provençal was the hotel that actually embodied a golden age on the Côte d’Azur.

“The 256-bedroom Art Deco palace and its “bright tan prayer rug of a beach” were, in the 1930s and 1940s, the symbol of the French Riviera. Coco Chanel and Marilyn Monroe ranked among the sun-worshippers; and on one balmy July evening, Ella Fitzgerald threw open an upstairs window and sang to the crowds at the world-famous Jazz à Juan festival in the park below. […] Built by an American millionaire Frank J Gould in 1925, with tennis club and jetty, restaurants, bars and luxury suites, the hotel marked a new way of life: la dolce vita.”

(copyright : Telegraph)

The famed Art Deco hotel on the Côte d’Azur has been derelict since 1973 and is now being turned into a luxury apartment building. I was sure they would never leave this hotel to squatters and pigeons forever and was dreaming of living in this dream hotel in the future… Too bad.. It is a little too early, I’m still not rich enough to buy any of the luxury apartment!

The London Telegraph reports that Developer Cyril Dennis is transforming the 45,000-sq.ft. beachside property, built in 1925, into 56 luxury units :

“Some have 360-degree views, and indoor pools, as well as outdoor pools and gardens; they will be fitted out with Porche kitchens, marble floors, Turkish baths, aquariums and separate staff lifts and entrances. Music, heating, lighting, flowers and shopping can be computer-controlled. Landscaped gardens, replanted each season, will feature fountains, ponds and an infinity pool with 360m terrace”

He describes the Provençal as “the last jewel in the Cap d’Antibes,” an area where top-drawer villas now go for over $200 million thanks to an influx of superrich (Russian) oligarchs. The luxury apartments will cost between €2million and €40million ($60 million)…

Via telegraph.co.uk

The Maybach Exelero is a high-performance sports car designed and built by luxury car manufacturer Maybach, and was unveiled in May 2005 at the Tempodrom in Berlin, Germany.

The 700 hp two-seater with a bi-turbo V12 engine is a one-off design commissioned by Fulda to act as a high-profile demonstrator for its tire line.

It’s more than just a show car though – in tests at the Nardo high-speed oval, the prototype reached a speed of 218.38mph, despite weighing over 2.66 tonnes. It is capable of acceleration from 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds.

The deepest pool in the world is known as Nemo 33, a recreational scuba diving center located near Brussels, Belgium which opened in 2004.

It is filled with 2,500,000 liters of non-chlorinated, highly filtered spring water maintained at 30 °C (86 °F) and contains several simulated underwater caves at the 10 m depth level.

Dior has launched two new watches , La D creation and Christal Midnight Blue rubber.

Designed exclusively by John Galliano for Dior, The Christal Midnight Blue rubber watch has a 33mm stainless steel case and a blue mother of pearl dial set with 36 diamonds. , the stainless steel bracelet is set with 117 diamonds, and the registers are set with pyramid-cut, scratch proof blue sapphire crystal. The model is produced in a limited edition of 500, priced at £3,150 ($6,200).

The La D creation from Victoire de Castellane, artistic director of fine jewelry at the Dior house, has an 18K rose gold case with a mother of pearl dial and an 18k rose gold in-set spiral of 55 pink diamonds, while the bezel is made up of a further 76 diamonds off set against a black satin strap. This watch is a limited edition of 15 and sells for £14,900 ($29,800)

They both have been available from Dior boutiques and selected retailers since May 2008.

In Russia they now drive in solid gold covered Porsche cars!

It seems only Porsche wasn’t enough for this guy who seems to want to attract everyone’s attention though.

He used more than 40 pounds of the pure gold while decorating this Porsche 911 (The best and the most expensive method to screw up a really nice car ^_^).