The AURA has a circular display - the first on a mobile device - 16 million colors and 300 dpi resolution on the round LCD and a Grade 1, 62-carat sapphire crystal lens.
"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."
Encased in a stainless steel housing, the AURA has textures and patterns chemically etched into its surface. 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. Motorola likens the effect to that of opening a luxury car door rather 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.
The AURA features Motorola's proprietary CrystalTalk technology and stereo Bluetooth.
AURA is expected to be available around the globe in Q4 2008. Pricing is unknown.
Unlike stated in the article, this design is not a first. There had been a simmilar looking handset had been launched by motorola sometime in 2002/03. 
