Motorola's New Phone Lineup Includes 18K Gold Snakeskin Razr 2

Motorola on Thursday unveiled nine new phones designed for entertainment-hungry, fashion-aware consumers.

The first in the lineup is the Moto U9, which makes music a "multi-sensory experience," Motorola said. The phone's music capabilities include Microsoft Windows Media Player, one-touch access to the phone's song library, and support for multiple audio formats.

The lightweight music phone, which is small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, offers up to 25 Mbytes of on-board user memory and a microSD memory card slot for additional storage of 4 Gbytes of music and pictures. In addition to CrystalTalk technology for better call clarity, the U9 comes with Stereo Bluetooth.

Those who need a phone for everyday communications can choose from seven new Motorola W Series handsets, which are the W156, W160, W175, W180, W206, W213, and W377. All of the phones, except for the W377, use Motorola's CrystalTalk technology that adjusts audio for clearer calls in noisy environments. In the past, the technology was offered only on Motorola’s premier handsets, the company said.

"The everyday communications segment represents dynamic growth and is a key area of focus for Motorola. These devices are designed for consumers who are purchasing their first mobile phone, for those who simply want to talk and message on an easy-to-use phone, or for those who are looking to upgrade a basic phone," said Stu Reed, president of Motorola's Mobile Devices unit, in a statement.

The Moto U9 and W Series phones will be available in fourth quarter of this year in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Motorola hasn't announced availability in the United States.

Finally Motorola is riding on the success of its most popular cell phone -- the Razr -- by introducing a special edition of the new Razr 2. The Razr 2 V8 Luxury Edition is 18K gold-plated and covered in snake-like skin. For that extra luxurious look and feel, Motorola also added a diamond-cut pattern on the phone's surface.

Besides the glamour, the Razr 2 comes with CrystalTalk technology, Windows Media Player, a 2.0 megapixel camera, and Opera Software's mobile browser version 8.5.

Stylish mobile phones -- as a fashion accessory -- have been growing in popularity, so Motorola is not the first to come up with the concept. Earlier this year, LG Electronics and fashion house Prada Group unveiled the Prada Phone, which has metallic black casing, touch-screen technology similar to the iPhone, and a $780 price tag. Nokia in August came out with its diamond-cut phone called the Nokia 7900 Prism, featuring cutting-edge colors, materials, and graphics. Nokia sells other luxury mobile devices in its flagship stores, which are typically kept separately behind a glass display.