MWC 2010
We had a few moments to spend with the Motorola Devour, which is headed to Verizon Wireless in the coming weeks. The device is another Android phone from Motorola that uses MOTOBLUR, its social networking service.
If you were unimpressed with the CLIQ hardware, prepare to be less impressed with the Devour. It has the same 3.1-inch 320x480 screen. No change there. It is, however, a lot thicker and heavier. It also has a goofy industrial design that mixes aluminum and black plastic in the worst way possible. It is all corners and angles, and will surely cause a non-life-threatening injury to someone's groin at some point in its future. It really doesn't feel all that comfortable to hold in the hand, especially since it is so thick. Also, because the frame of the phone is so huge, it makes the display look that much smaller.
There are three capacitive buttons along the bottom of the screen, and they are positioned well enough for easy use. The optical trackpad, though, we can't say we're thrilled with. It's stuffed in the very corner of the phone's front face. It clearly is not meant to be used when the Devour is held in portrait orientation. It's more meant as a navigational aide when holding the phone sideways. Speaking of which...
The slider mechanism felt rough, but it opens easily enough, I suppose. Similar to a SideKick, the Devour has two high edges on the left and right sides of the keyboard. In my opinion, these might get in the way of typing every now and then depending on how you position your thumbs when typing.
They keys themselves were perhaps the Devour's best feature. They are much better than the keys on the CLIQ and DROID. They are separate, and have just enough shape to make them stand out. They are also coated in a nice rubber substance, which I prefer to glossy (slippery) keyboards.
Unfortunately, the Devour was non-operational, so we weren't able to play with the software. It runs Android 1.6 with MOTOBLUR. I am sure Verizon has customized it bit, but it can't be all that different from the software on the CLIQ or Backflip.
Here's a quick video peek at the Devour.
Hands on with the moto g 5G
Hands On with the Motorola edge (2022)
Hands On with the Motorola edge+ (2023)
Hands On with the 2023 moto g 5G & moto g stylus
Hands On with the Motorola razr and razr+ (2024)
