If you're not sure who Kenneth Tong is, his credits include the UK Channel 4 Big Brother, as well as the upcoming Millionaire Matchmaker. Well, it turns out Kenneth is a huge CrackBerry fan (and BlackBerry fan in general) and took some time to send in these photos of his new 24 carat gold plated Bold 9700. Its done up from top to bottom, and although not everyone's taste, it does look great. Really the only things left untouched were the trackpad and screen. No word on just how much this cost (I'm not sure I want to know) but I'd be willing to bet it's a bit more pricey than ColorWare. Hit the jump for another shot of the device. Thanks Kenneth for sending these in!
Reader comments
Some Shiny New Photos ... of a 24 Carat Gold Plated BlackBerry Bold 9700
it looks awesome.....gotta love the gold
it looks awesome.....gotta love the gold
You do whatever you want with your cash , bro. It's unique and its yours. Not to mention, how many people have you created jobs for that can feed their own children and any others around the world? Probably a lot more than all those who are bashing it. Best wishes to you, and much success in 2010.
For 27 GBP you can get one as well...
http://cgi.ebay.ca/Chrome-Gold-Housing-Bezel-for-Blackberry-9700-Bold-2_...
someone takes their time to send into Crackberry a few pictures and all most of you do is crack jokes at his expense. Seriously?
Thanks for showing us your phone. Looks really nice.
Anyone that hates on his phone is just jealous! that is a siiiick phone.
Nice, nice!!!!
Why do people forget that gold is a good investment and that you can always re-use gold.
Does this help your career? Someone said it was pimp'n are you a pimp? I can see this as career booster if so.
Hey Ken how you treating your gf Karly these days??...i remember you from BB when you were on it...hopefully you treat her with alot more respect because dude shes one hot chick...anyone whos seen BB when she was in it would agree with me.
Yo by the way can i get Aiseylne's PIN number??..shes another hot chick...
Nice phone though...9700 rocks.
My bold 9700 gets too much attention as it is..feels like am being attacked with eyes..a gold plated bold ? am gonna need a gun
Just goes to prove having both money and taste doesn't go hand in hand.
Owned. http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/2554430/Big-Brother-housem...
You're known for this, not for being a playboy..
What! is that GPRS on a 3G phone? oh no... also, I prefer the black and chrome plastic. Maybe ur phone feels a little sturdier now.
Hey all you ignorants amongst the crackberry nation...you do realise that the 9700 does flip between 3G and GPRS depending on your reception...mine always flips between 3G and GPRS depending on where i am...if you go into manage connection then mobile network options...you should see the option to change it to 3G or 3G/2G.
Seriously some of you guys on here need to stop hating...his money and his phone...if i had the money to do it...i would do it as well...it looks pimp Ken.
It's nice to know that this is a conversation piece, digital or not.
Gold phone = Tool
hey kenneth tong can i get a interview?
If it's real good like they say it is then, he most likely got it at Computer Choppers.
http://www.computer-choppers.com/
Always love bling! If you ever get tired of it I'll take it off your hands :)
I'm jealous
hey can someone find out what this costs?
i was thinking of doing something like this for a blackberry tour
It looks like one of those things were it looks better in person.
Kenneth, great job on the phone.. If you got the money then F'in flaunt it !! Forget about all the jealous haters and morons.. To each his/her own. It's your moola to spend/waste any ol way you choose. I've been upgrading to a new car every year (buying not leasing) and people always tell me what I waste.. If you worked for it, damn it, it's yours!! I work my @s$ off 50+ hours a week and I'll spend my money any way I choose..
The way I see it.. I am keeping the local businesses busy by getting my car completely detailed every other month.. I eat out a lot.. The economy revolves around spending.. When we stop spending it's over.. businesses close.. people lose jobs... So Kenneth keep on freaking spending.. It's the people who spend, who are keeping the people employed and that's the truth!! ...And for the people saying you should donate instead of spend your own money and be happy... I'm pretty sure he donates to some charities just like I do.. However, I'll be damned if I'll forgo buying something I want and deserve because I worked hard and why should he...
Why in the name of all that is holy would someone take a
phone that was classy right out of the box and turn it into
a piece of "ghetto fabulous" trash.
That thing is appalling and takes tackiness to a whole new level.
i love it Kenneth! Can we get a ballpark figure on the cost?? I have seen a site from the UK offering the gold, platinum or diamond Blackberry.
out of all the people that have been in big brother, the person who acted like the biggest nob ever is a crackberry fan! :P
Enough Said! :)
Gold phone! That is so Gaudy probably Gold Paint from the intel I gathered on Google about Tong.
Kenny Tong you rich mudafucker! :D
I think that's too much for me I'd probably get robbed. lol
SSIICCKK
Enjoy the phone! :)
whats the point?
Does anyone remember the "gold"-plated Legend of Zelda cartridge for the original Nintendo? That's what this reminds me of...plastic should never be covered in a percious metal.
Seriously.. The dude has a Gold Bold. Big freakin woop. It's his money, he can do what he wants. And that unimportant person that's crapping on about famine and shit in the world... Seriously?! If you're moaning at him, then you should be moaning at everyone else that say, i don't know, bought a mac. What you gonna do, start having a go at them because they decided to spend more money that you deem fit on something that they wanted, and that they brought from their hard earned money?
At the end of the day, he aint spending your money, so why you have so much of a problem with it is beyond me. My 2 year old son has more maturity than you so grow up! You got some issues....!
stupid phone idea.....hot chick in screen!
looks awesome, but must admit id be proper worried about getting a scratch on it, id probably cry!!
an to everyone dissing it, its his money, his choice, and a very good choice he made :)
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1076138
Gold plated eh, i like how it look but a bit to shiny on the keypad a bit to much, and the numbers are the same no colors like the originals, hummm my 9000 golden parts isnt plated its solid gold, gold plated doesnt cost much guys, it looks good but its a cheeper way of getting the bling to the phones, also 24k gold is the softest gold and to do this to a berry in solid state will cost him tons more than this plated version, another thing solid 24k isnt that light, looks more like 10k on the shine. this is the down side of plated it will not change color but at the same time its not real. lol all the hype over plated pieces, you want to bitch about prices bitch about solid state pieces those are where the real dollars come into play. stop hating on the man phone it looks dam good, its his money he spend it, not you, dont feel bad cause you cant afford for your phone to look as good as you do, boys love there toys dont you? there are poor people here in the states, i dont see people bitching to there congress man or state about the problem but you want to talk about other locations around the world, the USA is the greatest place in the world with alot of hungry people, fix that first then you can point fingers, stop the hate and give credit where credit is due, everyone im sure works hard for there money and spend it on alot of crap other than a phone, once your happy with your purchase, so should the other person. just stop the hate and appreciate what you got. gold, blue, green blackberry its still doing what all the rest of us that have 9700 does. nice looking phone man enjoy it.
To all the idiots saying why he didn't who cares!! He can and you prob can't! Shit if I could afford to use dollars as toilet paper I would too
Looks awesome, if I had the money, I would totally buy, but just if it is real gold, if I know its a cheap fake ebay housing, I wouldn't buy it, I like it, not by its look, just because knowing I have gold on my bb, and nothign can tell me or anyone, how to spend his money, and hey how much u paied for it ?
That girl looks like Briana Banks.....
Dude, if that's for real her you are da "Real Playboy"!
UTG
Aren't you scared of dropping it or just losing it? Ok, I know you can obviously afford another one if you lose it, but still.
I baby the hell out of mine and it's ummm plastic :S
you hanging out with Aisleyne? Lucky dog if you are. I actually 'got' you when you were in BB! Good on ya pal! Take it easy man.
Will, in Liverpool.
To each his own I guess.
/?
Nice looking bb but it must be pretty heavy. Are there light leaks, does the housing fit firmly?
totally awesome.
don't know why people are dissing the dude. it's his money, let him spend it the way he wants it. for all you know, he may be splurging money on luxuries like these, but he may also be donating lots to needy people. even mr warren buffet has his few indulgences. why can't he spend on things he like if he can afford to? and to those who diss him, i bet you guys bought things you fancied too. don't just judge a person by ONE thing he's shown. it's just, wrong.
and about the phone, i prefer a full black blackberry haha. but the gold's really bling and pretty cool! and the girl's just smoking hot.
Are we really trying to tell someone else how to use his money?? Don't hate just because he put himself in a postion to make a lot of money doing what he does ( from the sounds of it a tv show creator in the uk ).... I'm with stallions35 on this one..
What the hell happened to shows like Friends, Frasier, and the West Wing. Now we are force fed shit like american idol and survivor because networks and tv actors are to damn greedy and want more money. I blame Jerry Seinfeld.
Ok... ignore my previous response above. You're just a moron.
Everyone... Carry on, nothing to see here.
Forget the phone. Doesn't anyone else find the humor in all of these comments?? Shit is straight comedy.
YES. I am literally laughing out loud at these people. Glad someone else finds some entertainment from all this bitching.
if the man wants to splurge, let him! We've ALL done it before in some manner, so why knock someone else? Everyone in here has bought something they really wanted (hint, look down at your blackberry, or at your car, or at your PS3/XBox, or at your flatscreen LCD/Plasma high definition 40+ inch TV).
Good job Kenny. Hey...can I hold a couple of thousand? I want to platinum out my Tour. I'm good for it. Lol!
Splurging is going out for a steak dinner, splurging is maybe getting the slightly better upgrade on the new car you are buying. Splurging is not pissing away enough money to feed a family of ten for a year. That is gross excess. An I don't care how he made his money it makes me sick.
your level of splurge and HIS level of splurge are obviously two different things. So you are telling me that if you won the lottery, you wouldn't change anything about the way you shop or the things you buy? If you can affort it, I don't see what the problem is.
I'm sure you live in a small apartment with a little black and white TV with no remote control with an Atari hooked up to it, don't you? :-)
Valace2 you might want to get off the soap box.
You're starting to attack a member of the Crackberry community, which I am sure is fairly off limits... but secondly, maybe in ratio to his income this is his steak dinner. So, you do realize you're steak dinner could be making someone else sick.
Just saying... for someone with such a strong conviction and judgmental personality I'd hope that you see how juvenile you're being over it. If you hate capitalism so much, you might want to join a socialist forum and discuss it there.
you people are hopeless so I will leave you to your idol worship (an no that isn't a religous comment, because I am not that religous). I am sure most of you would like to be just like him. I guess(and this isn't fair, anorexia is a disease) but we shouldn't wonder all that hard why 16 year olds want to all weigh 85 pounds, so they can all be like the girls on TV. Keep hoping everyone maybe some day you too can piss away 50 thousand dollars away on a phone.
he can do what ever he wishes with it.. its not up to you to decide.. get over it, deal with it.. or just go away.
Being a SPE contributor, some comments never cease to amaze me.
Ah well... to each their own opinion; and of course Ken seems like a classy guy taking the negative comments in stride.
My wife is a fan of Millionaire Matchmaker; so I'll be looking forward to checking out that episode now. Did you have fun taping it?
Show is cool, still loads more to film.
This is turning into look at my Bold, its better thant you Bold...kinda turning into a my penis is bigger than your penis debate. Who cares??? Dude's got $$$$ and he want to blink up his Bold good on him! We dont tell you what to do with your money...
just buy me the normal 9700. ill be happier than this device's owner
The epitome of gaudiness IMO!
RIM should market this through Nieman Marcus or another high end retailer. Not my taste, but I'm sure they could sell quite a few Blackberry Golds.
agreed.
Always be hatin.
I think it looks awesome.
That's ugly and a waste
forget gold BB...
whose the h00000t blond..
Whatever...
But i like BB the way it comes from RIM.
and by the way...
it's not gold.
colour is bit suspicious..
gold is too soft metal to use on BB.
looks exactly the same as the kit i got for my tour in silver. the blackberry letters on top are a bit crooked just like mine are. this looks like the gold kit from ebay that is about $20.
bingo.
It says a lot about the folks in our community that it took so long in the comments to make the comment I was going to: forget the gold BB - who's the smoking hot blonde on the screen and are there more pictures of her? :-)
Well done Kenneth!
Exactly. I've dated my fare share of stunners, I'm infamous in Britain, always referred to as a "Playboy" - I just love Beautiful women (and my Tech. Toys)!
I've plenty more pictures but I am afraid these aren't work safe!
Thanks for the kind words.
how do those pretty girls react when you can't satisfy them with your small penis?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha I literally laughed out loud at reading this. Perhaps inappropriate, but damn funny.
The guy can do what he wants with his money though, it's his, for one reason or another.
I am packing.
This is... so pointless
Really. I'm not jealous or anything, but this really is an absolute waste of money, even if you have the money to spare. And really, does it even look that good? No.
nice comment.
Its no big deal. Vertu cost more! My opinion it should be in platinium.
I've a Vertu Ascent as well... Platinum is just a Shiny Silver.
If I had money and wanted to make a choice I would have also gone for the Gold. It's lighter and a better chicks magnet!
Good job Kenneth! ;)
Is that you, R2D2?
All you guys are getting on to him for a gold-plated Blackberry and you're not giving him props for the hot chick sharing real estate on his home screen???
Actually loved your comment, I am known in Britain as the "International Playboy" but once in a while a pretty face does make me "Set as Wallpaper"! I do love my Blondes : )
... uh, okay. Good luck with that.
Nothing else needs to be said.
I was reading through these just waiting for this, finally someone said something about the hottie he's with in the picture! Granted, the Berry looks nice, gold's not my style, but to each his own & if you've got the money more power to you man! I think that girl dresses up the "plain theme" nicely so I wouldn't worry about it. Just keep doing what you're doing man.
wow, that's really tacky
He might have a 24 carat gold bb...but he doesn't have a good theme...we need to hook him up...for a price that is...hehe !
You know, its a phone right?? Not a piece of jewelry. Meh, guess its better than dude buying a "Grill" for his mouth
Reminds me of the movie Oceans 13!!! LOL
im sure this is a combo of electroplating plastic parts from truesupplier.com or a similar website!
http://www.truesupplier.com/blackberry-bold-9700-9020-onyx-chrome-housin...
not that im hating, im just saying! haha
Actually love my Handset. I was in quite an important meeting and I just sat there rotating the Phone to watch it Sparkle!
Have long been a fan of CrackBerry.com; I was updating Beta Firmwares to all my Phones for time, I still do it, gagging to put the new Bold Firmware Leak on but I can't find my Micro USB Cable!
All that Glitters is my Gold BlackBerry Bold!
Nice
But how heavy is the phone?
Pretty sweet. I just think it's funny that he went through all the effort to pimp his hardware, but he's still running the base theme for his operating system. Why not expand your obsession to software? Haha.
Never really found a pretty and functional theme; they all seem to be inferior to the Original. Any suggestions?
Well since you're a Mac user, why not a very pretty and elegant OS X theme? :-P
**cough cough shameless self plug cough cough**
http://software.crackberry.com/product.asp?id=46520
And P.S., I love the look!
I've used tons of themes but Ive used this theme on all 4 of my BlackBerrys. In one form on another... check it out.
http://software.crackberry.com/product.asp?deviceid=970&id=25954&n=Ciphe...
Original theme is best
THIS IS SOOOOO TACKY!!!
Does his carrier insurance cover his phone in case of accidental damage, theft or loss? :P
"Why you ask? Because I can."
One word: compensating.
nice comment.
I am actually blessed where you assume I am compensating for...
That's not a blackberry is a goldberry 9700
My plutonium plated Bold is on it's way... :p
haha I'm doing mine in kryptonite. Even Superman wont mess with me and my phone
Kryptonite... That cracks me up! Take THAT, Superman!
better get it encased in lead then...
Plutonium is an actinide metal of silvery-white appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. It reacts with carbon, halogens, nitrogen and silicon. When exposed to moist air, it forms oxides and hydrides that expand the sample up to 70% in volume, which in turn flake off as a powder that can spontaneously ignite. It is also a radioactive poison that accumulates in bone marrow. These and other properties make the handling of plutonium dangerous.
I guess I'll have to stick with my Uranium Bold... :)
actually gold is anti-bacterial so i guess this is one of the better places to have gold if you are a germaphobe...
Never thought of this, I can market this point as well now!
gold is anti-bacterial....but so is silver. silver is <20$/troy oz....gold is generally around 1100$/troy oz.
just saying.
silver tarnishes though... Imagine trying to polish all those buttons....
Now it´s a Blackberry Gold 9700
24 Carat would scratch way too easily. I don't like it.
Scratching badly already, I refuse to use a Case.
No, seriously...Why?
Because chicks dig stuff like that.
Exactly.
girls are strangely attracted to shiny objects. I'm not saying I understand it but I'll be damned if I stop buying shiny things... cool phone dude
why waste gold gold; covering something that you will replace in 2yrs anyway
Seen a tour done like this u can google it. Was like 7,000 us
24k looks darker orange. someone got ripped off.
...I think my 401k will allow me to take a loan for this!
Very nice
of someone with more money than brains.
Some people just have too much damn money. People all over the world are starving and this idiot has a gold plated Blackberry
blah blah blah...so you don't spend any money on yourself? Do you send all of your extra money to the starving people of the world?? Yeah thats what i thought. Keep your ignorant comments to yourself.
Agreed. This guy obviously is successful at whatever he does and earned the right to gold plate his phone.
Having a Blackberry is a waste considering people are starving in Somalia, but you still have one. Maybe you should take cancel that $30 a month data plan you have and send that money to Somalia!
Love you and Rick's Retort : )
that @anastasiophan can bite me as well. How the hell do you know what this guys does? How can you say that he is successful? For all you know he could be a successful crack dealer. I don't really care what he does for a living I care that he wasted probably tens of thousands of dollars on his fricking Blackberry. If you were a poor somalia family what would you rather have my lousy 30 bucks or the 30 grand this guy shelled out for his damn phone.
The worlds not equal. It doesn't matter what he does to get his money, he has it. All the third world countries are third world countries because they don't want change. The United states built itself from the ground up, so why cant they? Australia was a prison colony. Now look at it. Look at England and Canada. Don't complain about how people spend their money. You have a blackberry, presumably because you're on this page. So why have a blackberry which is technically an expensive phone when you can have a cheap trackphone, because that's what your logic is saying. I -work- for my money and I spend it freely. I actually like this 24k plating. I bet it outshines every phone on the market like it. Next step = diamonds for the dots on the BB symbol. That'd be off the chain. Sweet BB man.
Learn to read: "If you're not sure who Kenneth Tong is, his credits include the UK Channel 4 Big Brother, as well as the upcoming Millionaire Matchmaker."
Damn Putz.
you can bite me. There are people starving in the world right now, people who work hard and have no insurance and can barely afford to eat. Who knows what Mr. Tong does for a living, but I can tell you for 100% damn certainty if i had a hundred million dollars lying around I sure as hell wouldn't waste any of it on a gold plated blackberry. An I do give to charities not much but I do. I wouldn't trade places with them, but again who knows why they are where they are. I do know that there are people out there who have became rich off of people's suffering.
Again my response to Mr. Tong might have been a bit harsh I don't know where he made his money. He might have invented some wonderful invention or he might have been given it to him by his daddy a corporate CEO jumping out the window with a 20 million dollar golden parachute.
Still is a very very trivial thing to waste so much money on.
So again to wrap this up you can bite me.
u mad bro?
Really? Doesn't it say pretty clearly in the OP that the guys is either a producer or some type of TV bigwig? His credits include a couple of very big TV shows, so I'm pretty sure he's not a crack dealer. And good post about how money travels, he spent some, so a few different people could make money, so on and so on.
I star on the shows...
nm
if you dont know where he made his money then you are just one of those dumb people that says stuff without thinking. the description says how he made his money. You just looked at the pictures and got ticked off.
Next time, save everyone some time and read the post before commenting.
If you really love something, there is nothing wrong with dressing it up. I personally wouldnt like the shiny gold. I would prefer carbon fiber and blue buttons. To each his own, bassed on what he can afford.
I never understood this argument. This guy spent money which went back into the economy, which is the best way of distributing money. He had to pay for the gold and it's distribution (which goes as far down as the miners), the middle man, the manufacturer (who had to buy equipment to do the plating) and others that were involved in this process. Putting his money in a mattress would be more insulting.
Besides that... lighten up. You're on a blog about blackberries.
I'm sure the guy has some kind of brains if he makes enough money to gold plate he's phone ;).... WOW the amount of haters here...I can't believe this you don't have to like it but there is no need to insult the guy for spending HE'S money on something he liked.
Like Adam said, it may not be to everyone's taste but it looks pretty cool to me. And looking at Kenneth's BBM... "Happy Birthday Man"! When ever it was... :)
Thanks for the Birthday Wishes : D
Ordering my platinum bold as we speak! LOL!!!
Was offered a Platinum option but the Practioner validly stated that the normal Bold already has a Chrome Bar around it, if I went for the Platinum option, it wouldn't be as special.
Who here is going to buy this for me?
loooooooooooool. Ballin out
to each his own.. but pretty ugly
It's one thing for us to see this in photos but imagine pulling this out every time. It's like wearing a gold chain around your neck!
sorry at the lame attempt at humor . . . I would like to know how much this cost . . . actually doesn't look as bad as I thought it would . . .
Loved your Subject Line ; )
is there any chance I can ask how much this cost??? . . . forgive me if that is rude or over the line . . .
whatever it was, it would have been cheaper to not include the buttons. That would be a pain, insuring the letters are on each.
What a pimp!
looks just like the cheap crap you buy from china. same style letters and everything. And if he did spend all that money and all he gets is gprs, it was a real waste of money.
http://www.sw-box.com/blackberry-bold-9700-9020-onyx-chrome-housing-beze...
a pimp with only 39 contacts and 1 bar of GPRS.
LMAO no friends or data I'd have time to gold plate my toilet seat.
LMAO @ both gold plating the toliet seat and 1 bar of gprs
possibly, 39 hotties? or 39 closest friends. Bros before Hoes... With a phone like this, you dont need to save contacts, people call you. Could also be using BB Messenger.
I actually speak to all thirty nine folk. Had a lot more at one point but I didn't care about most the people, and hated reading idiotic status updates, so I routinely Purge people.
Most Girls in Britain don't even have BlackBerries... Ireland especially is a real iPhone Nation.
I am at the Country House, reception is bound to be poorer.
I found BlackBerry Messenger quite intrusive really when there are loads of people on it, from the latest craze of Broadcast Messages for everything to people "Ping"ing me when they don't get an immediate response, good to keep the numbers low...