Motorola’s introducing the first circular display into the phone market with the AURA and says it’s “The Return of Artistry.”
Technical precision and mechanical excellence are met with a Swiss-made main bearing and more than 200 parts that create a seamless opening for the handset. The quality of a photographic print is celebrated in the brilliant interplay of 16 million colors and 300 dpi resolution on the unique, round liquid-crystal display. Capped with a Grade 1, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens – one of the most scratch-resistant materials on earth.
For a second, I thought we were talking about a Rolex. The Aura comes with a 2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, microUSB port, quad-band GSM connectivity, a microSD card slot, multimedia player and up to 7.3-hours of talk time (400-hours in standby). The phone’s got a top-notch finish with unparalleled quality, but is it worth the $1,999 price tag?
Check the press release after the jump and let us know what you think. The phone will be available before Christmas and pre-orders are set to begin on December 4th.
Motorola Heralds The Return of Artistry™ and Unveils Timeless, Classically Designed Device
Introducing AURA™ by Motorola featuring the world’s first circular display in the mobile phone industry
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. – Oct. 21, 2008 – Inspired by luxury watches and handcrafted design, Motorola (NYSE: MOT) introduces AURA™, a unique handset that breaks convention and re-establishes artistry in the design and manufacturing of mobile devices. Fine craftsmanship and the industry’s first circular display help AURA deliver a sensory experience that is second to none for those with refined tastes.
Sophisticated design, high performance racing engines and the quality of a photographic print served as the perfect muses to inspire the creation of AURA. Its form recalls the timeless beauty of luxury watches with the introduction of the world’s first circular display on a mobile device. Technical precision and mechanical excellence are met with a Swiss-made main bearing and more than 200 parts that create a seamless opening for the handset. The quality of a photographic print is celebrated in the brilliant interplay of 16 million colors and 300 dpi resolution on the unique, round liquid-crystal display. Capped with a Grade 1, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens – one of the most scratch-resistant materials on earth – AURA is simply elegant.
“AURA is Motorola’s latest endeavor into the high-tier mobile device space and is the result of our continued inspiration to innovate in design, imagination and state-of-the-art handcraftsmanship,” said Jim Wicks, corporate vice president and director of Consumer Experience Design, Mobile Devices, Motorola. “From the moment AURA owners hold their phones, they elevate their own experience in luxury and unmatched quality.”
The hand-sculpted richness of AURA can literally be felt in its stainless steel housing, textures and patterns chemically etched into its surface. The front piece of the phone takes nearly two weeks to create. In that time, the stainless steel is sculpted, electro and hand polished, chemically etched and PVD coated. The result is a finely finished product that withstands the test of time.
Turn the phone over and reveal a window into its mechanical heart. The Swiss-made main bearing, gears composed of Rockwell 50-55 hardened steel and 130 precision ball bearings work in tandem to drive the assisted-opening blade, an effect more like opening a luxury car door than accessing a mobile device. Its custom-engineered rotating mechanism is composed of more than 200 high-precision individual parts, and the gears are protected from harsh conditions with the same coatings used in high-performance racing engines. Motorola’s proprietary CrystalTalk™ technology takes AURA to the highest level of audio clarity on every call, while Stereo Bluetooth®1 technology enables AURA owners to make and take phone calls hands free by pairing with a compatible headset.
