 Combining both the luxury of the Vertu and the state-of-the-art technology of modern mobiles is a tiny European operation run by Austrian marketing manager-turned master craftsman, Peter Aloisson.
Known affectionately as “the Brick” — largely because it was the size of one — the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X was introduced in 1983 to a public who would, for the most part, still have to spend another two decades queuing up to use slightly soiled phone boxes.
 Aloisson currently produces about three phones per year, depending on orders from his celebrity and wealthy clients, mostly retailing for in excess of U.S.$30,000.
The Vienna-based craftsman says he is now working on a cell phone that could claim the “ultimate” crown for good — a special order for a German manufacturer that will cost in excess of U.S.$1 million.
With a launch price of almost U.S.$ 4,000, Bricks were the preserve of the rich and powerful, who were often seen touting them as brash symbols of wealth in an era when stock markets soared almost as high as hairstyles. But as prices plummeted and networks fanned out across the globe, cell phones have become ubiquitous, their ring tones chirping everywhere from the boutiques of Beverly Hills to the arid plains of Afghanistan.
Although the phone is being constructed for marketing purposes, it will eventually be sold off, no doubt creating the world’s ultimate phone bill.
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