Motorola AURA Hits the Market

Taking back the power of art and turning it to functionality seems to be Motorola’s aim with the new Aura.

Motorola has introduced the world’s first circular display for a mobile phone with the release of the Aura. Now that is certainly thinking outside of the box. While the Aura’s display was inspired by those killer watches from Switzerland and Italy, it’s more like a watch that Bond might wear with all the features that comes with it.

The screen offers up 16 million colors with a 300 DPI resolution on the round LCD and it’s covered with a 62-carat sapphire crystal lens to keep the display from being boring or scratched.

Not only is the display high-quality, the phone actually has a Swiss main bearing for the swivel hinge and a stainless steel housing, which is etched and electroplated for a luxurious look.

On the inside, the phone features a music player (AAC, MP3 and more), a 2MP camera that can capture both still shots and video, 2GB of onboard memory, Stereo Bluetooth, web browsing and calling and messaging (SMS, MMS, Email). It’s also got an aluminum keyboard, and some other cool mechanical features.

Overall, just looking at the phone makes one think of high quality and outrageously expensive watches that millionaires collect like most people collect holes in their socks. The phone is set to ship this quarter but no specific availability has been announced. Considering it takes two weeks just to make the front plate of the phone, don’t expect to find it languishing in the shop window or sitting in large piles on shelves. Also, don’t expect it to be too cheap and really, would you want it to be?