Meet the Motorola Aura -- beautiful name, beautiful phone.

Featuring a high resolution display, the first radial LCD display on a consumer cell phone, and gorgeous laser etching that takes two weeks to complete, the Aura certainly has charm aside from its $2,000 price tag. While not a competitor to the iPhone in terms of functionality or price, the Aura servers as an elegant alternative to standard phones in terms of design. Unfortunately, Motorola has once again demonstrated their inability to polish their products.

Flip open the phone and the radial display switches to the phone's menu after a brief pause. This is the best that Motorola can do? Motorola has a perfect opportunity to take advantage of their rather beautiful radial LCD screen, and a simple switch is all that they can come up with? How about a vibrant animation of particles merging from the edge of the screen to the center, cataclysmically "birthing" the menu into existence. Or a mechanical gear system that "unlocks" the menu. Even a simple fade would be better than a simple switch.

Alas, Motorola continues to show that it is not the great company of the 80s that it once was. Motorola, swallow your pride and take a look at what Apple does right: Apple's products aren't merely attractive on the outside. They're through-and-through beautiful and polished. Just as Blizzard and Epic polish their video games again and again, you, Motorola, need to realize that the artistry of hardware and software design is more alive and important than ever. Be a leader, take us into the 21st century. You can no longer sell yourself on your name alone.