They have *18* 770s set up for people to play with. 12 on the ground floor, 6 more on the 2nd floor.

Do NOT venture to the 3rd floor.

That is where they keep the *hand-made limited edition* Vertu line of phones.

I am not making this up: a guy came in while I was there wanting to buy a certain design of a new series called Constellation. The particular one he wanted cost -- again: this is not fiction, science-fiction, or fantasy -- EIGHTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS!

The store is on 57th Street right off 5th Ave. You might not see it if you are walking up 5th -- the store next to it has a scaffolding up that blocks it (which is why I missed it the first time).

They are selling a 1GB RS-MMC for $109. Ouch. 770 battery for about $60, IIRC. The 770 cable for, I think, $20-$30 (which I find hugely funny as I was earlier in J&R and it turns out there is the *same* cable for the PSP for $8!!).

Ah, also, I called up the sysinfo on the 770. It has the same version of OS 2006 that we all have.

Hey, this is New York. 18k isn't that much money. Heck, there is a restaurant somewhere on the island with $1000 ice cream sundaes.

Anyhoo. I'll have to drop by there and see what else they've got cooking. I'm not all that impressed with the phones on offer right now, but I'd like to unload my T-Mobile SDA for something small and sleek. No use having all these overpowered computers around me all the time.

Bill

Sorry to say that Nokia's current crop of phones turn me off. Thick, big, ugly. You want to be impressed by phones, check out Samsung Experience at the Time Warner Center. They have one I really want!