Motorola's Moto X penny promotion ended as quickly as it began: Within hours, the phone maker sold out of the limited supply of handsets set aside for its "Try Then Buy" trial rental service.

Starting at 12 a.m. Eastern, consumers could register online to customize a Moto X smartphone, which will be mailed to their home for a two-week test drive.

For a one-cent deposit, the device comes with a pre-installed SIM card (or space to add your own), as well as features like Touchless Control, Motorola Assist, and Active Display.

If you love it, Motorola will charge the retail price (the new 64GB version costs $449.99) to the credit card used to pay the down payment. If you hate it, print the return label and send it back to the warehouse, at no extra charge.

While there is no word on how many phones were made available for the promotion, by 9 a.m. Eastern, the box was emptied and excited customers found a sad "That's it" message on the registration page.

"Thanks for being a fan!" the site said. "We've sold all the Moto X phones we allotted for this promotion."

Those lucky enough to snag a handset can expect their one-of-a-kind phone to arrive soon; the 14-day trial begins as soon as you receive the device. At the end of the two weeks, Motorola will charge your credit card and send a confirmation email and receipt.

If you decide the Moto X isn't the phone for you, be sure to start the return process prior to the trial end, so the company knows not to charge you the full retail price.

Motorola in August unveiled the Moto Xits first post-Google acquisition devicewith a 4.7-inch, 1,280-by-720 display, curved back, and Android 4.2.2. Inside, the phone sports a Motorola X8 mobile computing system with a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro and a 220mAh battery. It also boasts a 10-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front shooter.

At launch, Motorola talked up the fact that the Moto X would be produced in the U.S. at a Texas plant. But late last month, the electronics maker confirmed plans to shut down that factory and turn its focus to production in China and Brazil.

Motorola said the decision to shut down the plant is not related to its sale to Lenovo. Google, meanwhile, is trying a similar "try before you buy" option with Google Glass.

For more, see PCMag's review of the Motorola Moto X and the slideshow above. Also check out PCMag's inside look at the Moto X factory.

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