Video: Motorola Aura in action
By Paul Miller 
posted Jan 11th 2009 7:07PM
posted Jan 11th 2009 7:07PM
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Looks pretty slick and simple to me!
And a 300dpi resolution screen?! Daaamn... It's like magazine-quality. lol
No shit. Have you not guessed the fact that this phone is not about the software? It is about the hardware, through and through. And the hardware is AMAZING!
This is really a proof-of-concept of Motorola that it still knows how to produce best-in-class phones, not a product designed to sell. It is becoming less and less important for the hardware maker to have good software custom-made in house, with Palm's new software (which I suspect will eventually be offered to third parties if the Pre is successful), and Android.
I find it hard to believe there is actually a market for these. Palm Pre and iPhone make these look so ...lame
"Choice?"
I haven't heard "choice" used as an adjective since "Ferris Bueller."
@Flashpoint
You know what makes a rolex look stupid? a digital casio. But people still buy rolexes, right?
It's abut the look, and materials that go into the phone. Like the plastic that's in your iphone, or the cheap glass that's in your imac/macbook. Except that this phone has materials of the highest quality, styled ad molded perfectly.
@ Brian
I'm sorry, but comparing a fine time piece that can quite literally become a family heirloom to a mobile phone that will see a year, maybe two, of use is just ridiculous.
Is there a market for these? sure. Somewhere out there are a few dingbats with more money than sense.... But honestly, I imagine that the insanely wealthy are more apt to have a a blackberry than anything like this.
The Aura one one of those "because we can" gadgets. The manufactures make them with over the top materials and components just so they can slap a large price tag on them and say they have made the first [enter gadget here] in the world with [enter stupid feature here].
Now the problem is that Motorola really CAN'T make gadgets like these. They are quite literally failing as a company and to put resources into a one-off type luxury gadget just doesn't make much sense fiscally.
/$0.02
Weren't you mocking this a while back?
I think they were mocking the whole concept of it, which is a bit ridiculous (although now I can see why Moto did this, trying to raise some quick capital for a dying handset division). But i'm sure the build quality and screen quality are very impressive nonetheless, which is what they are praising in the video.
Even if it's ridiculously expensive and feature-lacking, you've gotta hand it to whoever designed that thing, it's classy like a fine swiss watch. It looks nice and slick.
*cough* iphone *cough*
Yes, this is so obviously an iPhone clone, it has a screen, and is more for show than anything else.
300DPI is insane, by the way. I thought the iPod Nano was pretty good with it's 200DPI screen.
This thing is the exact opposite of classy, unless you think a gold, diamond studded Rolex daytona is classy.
Not all swiss watches are classy, some are made for those who think they can buy their class by showing how much they can afford to spend for usless and bad taste objects like this Motorola.
Class, like God, is in the details, but only in those details that make functionality and form blend in a seamless (I would'nt dare saying perfect) unit.
Moreover class is never found in an object but in how that object gets used.
The only "classy" way to use that motorola is to avoid it altogether.
*disclaimer
i ment that comment for the like first 7 words of his post :D
since the screen is circular, would've been awesome if they had made the screen rotate as you slide the phone open so the orientation stays constant relative to the keypad.
Psh. oPhone clone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WazA77xcf0A
Oh. Wow. Hot.
Now.
spinwheel?
i'm so lost. haha.
Looks great....but the menu looks awfully sluggish
Slow? It's called animations.
Well what do you expect, it's a typical Motorola, great design with a shitty OS.
Yeah, I agree.
The design of the phone is definitely different and creative, but the slow menu is HORRIBLE.
The interface seems laggy.
thats what i was thinking... Though she could of just been clicking slow trying to display it for reporters.
Exactly. On paper this looks really good but it just dosn't *feel* elegant. It feels like any old flip phone with an amazing screen.
Does it take circular pictures? I can imagine that would be offputting?
dildo phone
are you blind?
he has a weird girlfriend...
What an Fugly piece.
looks like a fancy dumbphone...
Very perceptive.
.....hmmmmm FOR 2 GRAND, SHOULD IT NOT DO SOMETHING EARTHMOVING......SAY LIKE A POCKET OREGASUM......well maybe just good vibes.....
this is possibly the biggest fail on the internet at this moment in time
Will It Blend?
for spending that much i hope not!!!
It's pretty, but it's got as much substance as cotton candy. the only people I can see buying this is the upper class that don't know any better.
If it wasn't for the price, I would buy one easily. I was a fan of the v70 and the w550, so I actually like this phone. It's like a slider, but with a bit more look-at-me factor.
Exactly, if this phone weren't $2,000, I'd seriously consider buying it. I've got a WinMo phone right now, but this thing just looks so slick, I might be willing to give up my full keyboard if it runs as smooth as it should at that price point.
Kinda reminds me of the oPhone...
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=WazA77xcf0A
LOL.
Yes! +1
I love how she says "It's a great phone as well"
I think it would have made more sense if the screen was a touch screen. That wheel looks too small.
as far as phones go this is awesome. Personally I like beautiful, well made things. However, this is no more functional than the RAZR. The software looks a lot better, but this is just a phone, not that there is anything wrong with that; some people just want a phone and don't want to browse, do e-mail, etc. There is definitely a market for this, and in terms of "high end" phones I fine this refreshing, considering it's not gold plated and crystal encrusted
Craig, you have it just right bud.
It is exactly the phone I've been looking for. I am looking for a NORMAL phone, without a camera, but with superb reception! When I see apple's Iphone, I see "douche", unless a hot girl is using it.
What has been pissing me off lately on the phone market is that all phones have a camera, they force you to browse the internet, or they simply have a bunch of state of the art useless software that you'll never use.
The only extra thing I want on a phone is an alarm! A caculator is nice! More importantly, a phone with superb reception!
16 million colors is fantastic, but let's keep in mind that the HTC phones basically have 300 dpi on much bigger screens (albeit with 65k colors). Not that the HTC phones can compete with this thing on pure style points, but still.
I wonder how scratch resistant the glass is. I can't even imagine the level of pissed I'd be if my keys gauged that screen.
if you could afford this phone chances are you arent going to be driving yourself
*gouged
@ username
keys to the yacht. Duh.
"if you could afford this phone chances are you arent going to be driving yourself"
Unless you're like Tony Stark.
Tony Stark is not stupid enough to buy this.
The display is synthetic sapphire. It will scratch glass. Pretty much the only thing that will scratch it is a diamond.
Nice gift for the non-tech savvy wife...
it's called v70 years ago people!!!!!! somebody took it to the mall, and had some lady glue on some stones and and call it Aura.............LOL
@ken: We had the same thought a few mins apart but I couldn't remember the model number. The v70 was a real POS.
http://www.kija-shop.de/pics/motorola_v70_1.jpg
Reintroducing old designs and marking them up a few hundred percent is dumb.
Didn't Motorola have the exact design about 6 years ago? The phone had a circular display and 'slid' open. Can't find a picture of it though, anyone else remember that POS?
you are talking about RotoMoto... and that was pretty sweet too. i mean i'll still buy one of those if i can find one cuz its a classic.
Anyone who is complaining about how sluggish the menu is or how it lacks in features and so on and so forth is a damn idiot! Because you just don't get it and i don't even wanna bother explaining. whereas the phone is concerned i'm so glad that they came out with the same design.i love it man! again don't tell me what this phone is missing ( because that's not the point ) . anyway the screen looks amazing! can't wait to get one of these in my hand!
I am so happy to see that there are some people on this post that have their head screwed on tight. I do not understand this device. Who cares about about this phone? Why would engadget even post about this device in the wake of all of the great announcements of the last week?
Like, OMG!
ya thats all youll be able to text on that keyboard.
300 dpi? Wow, Watching porn movies on it would be awesome!
it looked like that wasnt connected to anything......... O_O
i would have stolen it
I'm sorry, I just don't see anything special about it except for the 300dpi screen, and I'd much rather see a square version of that screen on a normal flip phone design. The circular UI looks like a pain in the ass to use.
Eh. Just another reason why Moto is goin down the tubes. Do I care whether or not it takes two weeks to forge the steel body in the fires of Mount Olympus? Don't think so. Throw in a better camera while you're charging such an exorbitant price for it, please. What person would spend $2,000 on a phone that can't do anything other than act like a phone from 2001.
That being said, that screen is super sexy. Wish it were bigger, though.
I love my Rolex. Like others said this is a v70. They gave these away to celebrities as a gift for some awards event. I forgot the name of it. Here it is... It was the Oscars...
"The nominees for best actress - Halle Berry, Sissy Spacek, Judi Dench, Renee Zellweger and Nicole Kidman - have been treated by the lingerie company Victoria's Secret to a limited-edition bra, worth $5,000 (£3,500) because of the 14-carat white-gold straps, studded with 22 round white diamonds, which can be detached and worn as a choker. These five lucky ladies, along with the five nominees for best supporting actress, will also receive the brand new Motorola v70 "swivel-flip" phone, and a handcrafted toile suitcase stuffed with Estée Lauder products, a Tse cashmere robe, Manolo Blahnik suede slippers, and an invitation for the recipient and a friend to enjoy £10,000 worth of spa treatments in their own home. The same 10 nominees have also been chosen by make-up artist Trish McEvoy to receive a leather case filled with $1,000 (£700) worth of make-up hand-picked to suit their colouring. No wonder they look so good on the red carpet. "
i appreciate all the engineering behind this phone, but the first impression i get when i saw the aura in "closed" position is... it looks like a friggin' old-fashioned bathroom scale!!!!
Looks like the pomegranate phone. Except the pomegranate is waaaay better. It makes coffee.
http://pomegranatephone.com/
I think it's just pretty, not impressed though...
Worth the price tag? Hmm, NOPE
They have done this formfactor like 10 years ago so it's not that new actually..
http://www.freefoto.com/images/04/19/04_19_22---Motorola-Mobile-Phone_web.jpg
So, where's the crapgadget tag?
oPhone anyone?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WazA77xcf0A
stupidest tech coming from a company on the verge of falling into the crapper. When your family is hungry, buy milk and bread, not beluga caviar.
Style and class is in the eye of the beholder. Luxury and functionality do not always follow the common logic and reason. I'd be in the market for a (small sized) stylish dumb-phone, however, this phone doesn't even come close to be worth considering, let alone being shortlisted. This screen size, thus text and numbers are way too small.
Motorola has been struggling for 2 years and it gets worse. Coming myself from a company that is successful in both low-cost, commodity products and luxury product lines, it seems to me Motorola's decision making and execution is incredible unprofessional and amateuristic. How can their shareholders keep on accepting this? Executives all over the world promote over-delivery on realistic commitments and promises however it seems Motorola keeps on drifting the opposite way (over-promise and under-deliver).
The worst is believing that they can get away by creating a (luxury) customer image as being a dim wit. (And unfortunately there will be some.)
Holy crap, what's happened to the Engadget community?! Can't a single news post go by without a tidal wave of negative comments? C'mon guys, it's a gadget, gadget is in the site's name. Whether YOU like the item or not doesn't mean you have to constantly barrage those of us seriously discussing the pros and cons of the item in question with your horribly biased and unfounded hatred against it. At least come up with a real reason to hate the thing other than, "ZOmG TEH MOTOROLA IS TEH GAYEST S*** EVAR O_o". Grow up guys.
In relation to the real topic, this fone looks gorgeous. I haven't seen a fone that literally made me drool since I lived in Japan. That screen looked amazing, and I've always been one for cogs and gears, the rotating mechanism looks amazing. Granted, the menu looked sluggish and the buttons were way too small, but I'm sure this is the first in a line. They'll take this design and redefine it, make it more consumer friendly and more affordable too. I'm more for function than form, but when that day comes, I may just have to let go of my exceedingly high standard/expectations in a fone(IMHO Japanese cell fones and years ahead of any fones on the American market) and settle for one of these beauties.
It's pretty obvious that this phone is rather aimed at the Vertu etc. than at the iPhone or the Palm Pre. And if I were in that market I would take this any day over a Vertu. It's more advanced, the screen seems to be gorgeous, and I kind of like the design. But obviously, I, as an Engadget reader, would take the Pre or even the iPhone over this any day. But then I don't think we are what this thing is made for. Nicely done Motorola, so now where is your Android phone?
Btw., I think Motorola should do that high end Android thing... and then release a version like the Aura of it. As technologically advanced as it can be, and with the same no compromise built quality of the Aura.
Is a truly circular screen a big deal? To me that just seems to make it even less useful, as nothing seems to benefit from it, aside from maybe the clock. I mean, the pictures wouldn't have corners, your text would have to be all in in the middle, etc.
And two weeks to cut and polish? It takes less time to make a freaking car. No wonder moto is having so many problems.
Im waiting for it right now :)
It will be delivered between now and 3,5 hours
On a side note: What I notice is a lot of misunderstanding and some envy between commenters. The only thing I can say about that is, if you do not understand why somebody would buy a phone like this, your probably not in the target audience for the aura.
I would like one as my drinking phone. Flashy and probably tough to break.
Oh, it was a phone. Did'nt realize.
2 weeks to polish. I mean, come on. If your using an tumbler possibly. You could hand polish this (piece) in less than a day. Not to mention there is no way in hell there is 2 grand worth of workmanship and material in this phone (period). $200 tops. The rest goes to pay for the useless research and development that went into this piece of shite.
Just one question: Motorola has presumably earned like hmmm quadrillions with their RAZR v3 and offsprings, where has all that money/their yields gone? Other companies use their flagship model to become a top competitor ... motorola seems to the exact opposite "yay, we had a great phone, now close down the company, so that uhhhh every can remembers us producing a hot-selling phone?!?" I do not understand motorola ... seriously ... At least PALM tries hard to earn money again.
If this had of come out of Steves' pocket at the end of a keynote these comments would be awash with drool.
Oh, by the way, its ugly.
This is a cool phone design, but watching the video I see two problems. One is a huge missed design opportunity. The menu "scroll" wheel SCREAMS to be a thumb ring around the display. That little button they used for advancing through the menus looked very clumsy. An iPod style capacitive "wheel", but around the edge of the screen would have been perfect.
The 2nd problem is that it's too damn small. It's doesn't fit in the palm. The two reviewers had to hold it in their fingertips. I know they are were showing it for the camera, but it still looked uncomfortably small. I guess if you only make Borg (Bluetooth) calls, then It doesn't matter.
Well I have received the aura yesterday morning and I can tell about some of my experience with it so far.
The phone is smaller then it looks like on numerous videos and pictures I have seen. It is of average size. It does weigh a bit more then average but never becomes heavy in your pocket or hand.
The menu is lagging a bit at times but never becomes an annoyance. Clearly they can polish the interface and responsiveness some more with a future update.
The phone is very well build and it is also very clear it was not easy to build. There are small imperfections and I suspect not one aura to be the same.
This is a phone you will enjoy having and not per se to show of with. In reality it is less shiny and not to provocative. For the lack of better words. It is like a famous model just before she was discovered.