While it’s nice and quaint to see a mobile phone that concentrates on being an actual voice communication device instead of an all powerful handheld work station, this $60,000 (€42,000) 18K phone from Aesir needs to do a hell of a lot more than shine pretty and have crystal clear communications for that price. I actually admire the fact that the Copenhagen-based Aesir eschews so many modern “necessities” such as mp3 player, internet connectivity, and every app known to mankind in designing their luxury phone, but think I’m putting my money elsewhere. Yves Béhar did a fine job designing the piece (read our interview with Behar HERE), who described his motivation as thus: “With the Æsir phone, I wanted to show an alternative to the sea of smartphones and their deluge of features. In an age when the industry seems to think that phones aren’t for speaking anymore, I wanted to focus on the idea of voice, clarity and simplicity. The central tenet behind the +YvesBéhar is to literally craft the visual details, craft the functional tactility, and craft the user interface. This level of resolution for every touch point was achieved using a European-centric approach to manufacturing, assembly and design, partnering with the best makers in Switzerland, France and the Netherlands. The +YvesBéhar champions the idea of craftsmanship in an age that’s obsessed with more and making last year’s products obsolete. Instead we propose better and long-lasting as our starting criteria.” There’s also a 316L stainless steel version of the +YvesBéhar available for about $10,100 (€7,250), both featuring wraparound ceramic uppers and a sapphire crystal lens.