Don't ask me why I was surfing the cell phones category on eBay this morning.  Just ask me what I found.

eBay user jingsha22 (whose 90% feedback score tells us he's usually, but perhaps not always, legit) is selling what he claims is an actual Nokia AEON prototype straight out of their R&D facilities.  In fact, he claims to have two - the winning bidder gets his or her choice of a blue or green handset.

Aeon is a Nokia concept not all that different from the recently released LG Venus for Verizon Wireless.  A thin candybar phone, Aeon features a split-screen design in which the bottom portion functions as a touch screen that morphs into various buttons and menus depending on the context.  Since Venus is already available at your local VZW store, Aeon's concept isn't as far out as it seemed when first announced almost a year ago.  But it's still a pretty slick looking device, particularly when laid next to the rest of Nokia's "function before form" lineup.

The auction lists Aeon's specs as quad-band GSM with EDGE and 3G (European bands, I assume) with a 2mp camera, 240 x 320 display at 16 million colors, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.  According to the specs, Aeon is 13.7mm thick.

And oh yeah, the Buy it Now price is a cool $2,000.  Check it out on eBay from here.