Motorola shows off MOTO U9 and gold-plated RAZR2 Luxury Edition

Motorola is releasing two new eye-catching phones – the new MOTO U9, a refresh of its PEBL-style design, and a special limited black edition of the RAZR2 featuring blingtastic 18k gold-plated accents on and a snake-skin textured back.

The MOTO U9 has the rounded look and feel of the clamshell Motorola PEBL but with a glossy metallic finish, including a “hidden” display on the outside that emerges when the screen comes on.

The U9 is geared up to be a music playing mobile, with touch sensitive music player controls on the outside of the shell, and one touch access to the music player. It comes with Microsoft Media Player 11 software, enabling easy syncing and music transfer with a PC. The U9 supports multiple audio file formats (MP3, AAC, AAC , eAAC and WMA), and features stereo Bluetooth connectivity. The U9 has 25MB of internal memory but supports MicroSD cards up to 4GB. A stereo headset is supplied with the phone. Other features include a 2.0-megapixel camera, push email support and USB 2.0 connectivity. It is expected to be released in the fourth quarter of this year.

Meanwhile, mobile users looking for a bit of flash should take a look at the Motorola RAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition. Gold plating is spread over parts of the phone, with a black slate vacuum metal finish contrasting, and diamond-cut patterns embossing it. And if that‘s not enough to bling you out, there’s a snakeskin style back panel.

It has all the features of the regular RAZR2, including a 2.0-megapixel camera and ultra-slim 12mm thinness. It has a music player and boast up to 2GB of onboard music storage, Windows Media Player 11 software, and a stereo headset is supplied. It also comes with a special edition Bluetooth headset in-box.

The Motorola RAZR2 V8 Luxury Edition is set to be released in the fourth quarter of this year, with prices still to be confirmed.

Motorola announced the two head-turning models at the same time as it launched a wave of more budget-friendly entry-level models, with seven new W series handsets designed for “everyday communiction”.