If you're looking for the MOTORAZR 2 V8 Luxury Edition's snakeskin feel and 18K gold finish, the Moto store is the only place you'll get your fix. Pre-orders have opened up with first shipments starting January 31st. What will this bit of Moto luxury cost you ask? Why, a cool $679 thankyouverymuch.

Though the CTIA's fall show tends to be light on fresh hardware, we were delighted to see that Moto came prepared with some examples of two of its larger announcements in recent memory: the posh RAZR 2 Luxury Edition and the U9 skipping stone clamshell. Both models were surprisingly visually stunning. The RAZR 2 Luxury Edition looked a little over the top from its press photos -- don't get us wrong, it still is over the top, but in a surprisingly attractive way. The gold accents actually look like gold (18 and 24 karat gold, to be specific), the exclusive patterned backside is actually functional by giving the handset a non-slip surface, and the reskined UI builds on the V8's already solid JUIX backbone. Meanwhile, the U9 (pictured) makes its first public appearance in a pair of colors, blending the original PEBL's design DNA with a few concepts borrowed from recent Sony Ericsson models. We think Moto picked the right ideas to crib, too -- the translucent covers and partially concealed external displays look pretty tight in this form factor. Click on for the visuals!

We still think it's a little early in the RAZR 2's life to be changing up colors and trimmings and turning it into a special edition, but what do we know? As expected, Motorola's announced the "Luxury Edition" of the EDGE-only RAZR 2 V8, trimming the phone with 18 and 24 karat gold accents, a black "vacuum metal" finish, etched sides and nav wheel, and a soft-touch posterior endowed with a snakeskin pattern. A bundled H680 Bluetooth headset (trimmed with 18 karat gold, naturally) and a leather carrying case round out the package, fit for the aspiring Vertu owner who hasn't quite yet reached a Vertu salary. Look for it to start showing up in "select regions" -- the US included, we suspect -- before the year's out.

Holy crap, it didn't take long at all for Motorola to start the process of diluting its RAZR 2 brand (sound like a familiar tactic?) with a confusing array of variants and special editions. What happened to "we will not ride one horse to the bitter end again," guys? Ah, well... anyway, the RAZR 2 du jour for the holiday season will be the "Luxury Edition," featuring gold-plated accents on a black background (could look nice or terribly gaudy, we won't know until we see it), an "engraved diamond pattern" on the d-pad, a soft touch rear, and a bunch of bundled accessories. No word on whether this one will be an EDGE-only V8 or a 3G V9, but if we had to guess, we'd say it'll probably be a V8 to give AT&T a little more exclusive breathing room. Also in the pipe is the H12 Bluetooth headset that appears to be positioned as a higher-end unit. We'll pass along visuals as we get 'em, but in the meantime, follow the break for more details straight from the horse's mouth.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]