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!

Right on time, T-Mobile has announced retail availability today of the Motorola RAZR 2 V8. Unlike its V9 brethren on AT&T, Sprint, and Verizon, T-Mobile's version rocks out with 2GB of integrated storage -- perfect for making use of the media player via that glorious two-inch external display. Other goodies include a 2 megapixel cam, myFaves support (naturally), and a subdued color scheme that should see a few more fans than AT&T's wild "mahogany" version. Conspicuously missing is any support for 3G, but hey, it's T-Mobile, whatdya expect? Grab it today for $250 on contract after rebates.

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.

Field tidbits from Engadget's mobile insider, The Boy Genius.

Can you feel the excitement? Following up on previous intel, we've now been able to confirm that T-Mobile will be launching its version of Moto's RAZR 2 -- the EDGE-only V8 -- on October 15. That's good news for customers of the network; yeah, it sucks that 3G goes to the wayside (not like you're getting it on T-Mobile anyway), but in exchange you get the Linux-based JUIX platform underhood in place of the V9's old-skool Synergy. The carrier's documentation indicates that it's positioning the V8 to sell to "young and aspirational, social" peeps between 18 and 30 who are "willing to pay a premium to get the latest and greatest." Just how much of a premium, you ask? Look for it to drop in most markets for $250 on a two-year contract after rebates, $400 contract-free.

With the Motorola RAZR 2 set to drop on Sprint next week as the V9m, the handset will then be released on Verizon Wireless in September. No solid word on AT&T's official release date with the V9, though. How about Alltel? You'll see the V9m with them too, apparently (not sure when). Until then, PC Magazine has reviewed the plethora of differences between the RAZR 2 when it comes to these four carriers (T-Mobile to come later with the EDGE-only V8, according to reports). The review breaks down the per-carrier deets, mentioning that T-Mobile's version will run Linux while the other versions will use Moto's Synergy software platform. The phone books and web browsers are different on the CDMA variants, as well as the overall UI being starkly different on each one. Want CrystalTalk background noise suppression? It's only on AT&T's model. There are so many intricate differences on each RAZR 2 that you just gotta hate carrier branding and custom software. Use the read link below for a full smattering of all the RAZR 2 differences so far.

Yeah, it's already on sale in South Korea, we know -- but still, there's something that warms our hearts about seeing an in-the-wild shot of a hot new phone with a sticker price proudly displayed right below it. This example comes from Hong Kong, where the V8 (GSM plus EDGE only, no 3G) rendition of the Motorola RAZR 2 is available for $3,380 HKD (about $432). The travel distance-to-price ratio is too high on this one to justify us flying out to grab it, but with any luck, maybe AT&T can come through for us before too long.