The Motorola Aura (named AURA) is a series of mobile phones from Motorola, part of the 4LTR line. The device was announced in October 2008, and became available for purchase by December of that year. Although originally planned as a series of only one model, the Aura R1 was released. In 2009, three special editions of the Aura R1 were introduced: the Aura Diamond Edition, the Aura Celestial Edition, and another Aura Diamond Edition. The Aura was priced at and was made with materials such as stainless steel and sapphire. It was packaged in a wooden box.
The AURA phone featured a circular display with a 300 dpi resolution. The user interface was designed specifically for this circular display, using the 'MotoMagx' operating system from Motorola. The device featured a swivel-like opening mechanism that utilized Swiss-made gears, composed of Rockwell 50-55 hardened steel, and 130 ball bearings.[1]
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| Motorola Aura R1 | |
| Manufacturer: | Motorola |
| Available: | December 2008 |
| Screen: | circular TFT screen, 16 million colors, 480px in diameter |
| Camera: | 2 megapixel camera (1600×1200 pixels) with video |
| Memory: | 2 GB internal memory, no Memory card slot |
| Networks: | 2G only, GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| Battery: | Li-Ion 810 mAh, Talk time capacity: Up to 7 h 20 min. |
| Connectivity: | Bluetooth 2.0, USB |
| Size: | 96.9 x 47.6 x 18.6 mm |
| Form: | Swivel |
| Weight: | 141 g |
| Music: | MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, AAC+ |
| Related: | Motorola V70 |
| Other: | Stainless steel housing, Assisted opening blade mechanism with Carbon-carbide coated gears, voice memo, chemically engraved textures. |
The R1 was announced in October 2008, and put in production in December 2008. The launch price was approximately (over). The phone featured GSM technology, 2GB of internal memory, and a user interface optimized for its circular display, which was a 1.55" screen with a resolution of 300dpi.[2]
Two Aura special editions were announced at Mobile World Congress 2009: the Diamond Edition and Gold Edition. Both of these were styled by designer Alexander Amosu. The Diamond Edition featured 90 diamonds set around the circular display whereas the Gold Edition had a 24-carat gold-plated housing.[3] Both editions were released in limited quantities.
Motorola released a special edition in July 2009 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Moon landing. Motorola had contributed to the communication equipment used during the Apollo 11 mission. The special edition phone came with pre-loaded pictures, audio, and video content from NASA. The handset came with a laser-cut inscription and nine postage stamps to commemorate the mission. The first unit produced was given to Neil Armstrong.[4]
In October 2009, the Aura Diamond Edition was launched, featuring an opulent design with 18-carat gold plating and 34 diamonds elegantly set around its screen and navigation buttons. It had a launch price of .[5] Both the Diamond and Celestial editions were showcased at Mobile World Congress 2010.