Motorola Devour: a Lesser Droid
At first glance, Motorola's second Android phone on Verizon, the Devour ($150 with a two-year contract from Verizon; price as of 3/3/10) looks a lot like the Droid. But after spending some time with the new model, I realized that it couldn't be more different from its older sibling. There's a lot to like about the Devour, especially its social networking features, intuitive user interface, and sturdy design, but it also has some shortcomings.
Thu, March 04, 2010
PC World — At first glance, Motorola's (MOT) second Android phone on Verizon (VZ), the Devour ($150 with a two-year contract from Verizon; price as of 3/3/10) looks a lot like the Droid. But after spending some time with the new model, I realized that it couldn't be more different from its older sibling. There's a lot to like about the Devour, especially its social networking features, intuitive user interface, and sturdy design, but it also has some shortcomings.
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Design: The Pros and the Cons
Honestly, my initial impressions of the Devour's design and look weren't exactly positive. The Devour is a bit clunky, and its aluminum body is retro in a somewhat unappealing way. The 3.1-inch display seemed way too small for its 4.4-inch-long body and is much smaller than the Droid's 3.7-inch display. In fact, the Devour is slightly bigger than the Droid, but weighs a tad less at 5.9 ounces (the Droid weighs 6 ounces).
After some hands-on use though, the Devour began to win me over. Yes, this thing is a brick, but it feels quite solid in the hand and has some unique design elements. For example, rather than a back battery plate, the Devour's battery and microSD slot can be accessed by removing the rubber siding on the phone's left spine. To remove the battery, you just tip the phone, and it slides out. The Devour also has black rubber panels on the top and bottom, keeping the phone from feeling slippery.
I found the layout of the Devour's touch controls a bit awkward, however. There's a sizeable gap between the bottom of the display and the touch controls. Then, for whatever reason, Motorola placed the touch controls in two rows: The Menu, Home, and Back keys are on the right side of the top row, with a thumbpad/optical mouse below them on the left. Overall, it makes for a lot of unused space, which is unfortunate when you have only 3.1 inches of screen real estate to work with. On the bright side, the touch keys are quite responsive, and the optical mouse is a good alternative to the touchscreen.
I do applaud Motorola's keyboard design for the Devour; it is far better than the Droid's. While the Droid's keyboard is spacious enough, I found it shallow and a bit uncomfortable to use. The Devour's recessed keyboard is easier to steady, making typing more comfortable. The keys are also large, and nicely raised and spaced out. The sliding mechanism is crisp and springy, yet solid.
