By Until I held the Motorola Devour in my hands, I assumed it would be a lighter, more plasticky version of the Motorola Droid with weaker specs but a better keyboard. As you’ll learn in this review, my perception gradually quickly changed. It’s difficult to review the Devour on it’s own merits when it has the same manufacturer, is available on the same carrier, and has a mirroring form factor with (virtually) the same operating system. But we’ll try… and in the end draw the necessary comparisons and conclusions because let’s face it – context is everything.
Hardware Review
Within 2 seconds of holding the Motorola Devour I knew it wasn’t the “light, more plasticky” younger brother to the Droid I had expected. It was heavy. It was sturdy. It screamed “tough” and wanted to be its own man phone. The aluminum body with black, ruggedized rubber contributed to the look and feel and honestly it seems like the most solid Android phone out there. The problem is that the sturdiness seems like the main attraction of a phone that’s aspiring to be things it shouldn’t:
Don’t get me wrong, I like the Devour hardware and it isn’t bad when judged alone. But with a small screen (3.1-inch), average resolution (HVGA), mediocre camera (3MP/fixed focus/no flash) and other less than stellar specs, I almost wished it would just take its place in line. It’s way too big and heavy for what’s stuffed inside and while an outstanding keyboard could have come through with a buzzer beater in the clutch, it was only decent. Better than the Droid keyboard? Absolutely… but by no means one of the best keyboards out there.
Keyboards: DEVOUR vs DROID vs G1
I was really hoping the Devour keyboard would knock one out of the park. In press pics it looked quite spacious, contoured and clicky. I tried to do quite a bit of typing with the Devour, even publishing a Phandroid article from the device, so I got pretty comfortable/familiar with it:
The Devour keyboard is DEFINITELY an upgrade over the Droid keyboard. Not only was the Droid keyboard sub-par, the accuracy of the large 3.7-inch landscape keyboard nearly render the physical keyboard pointless (at least in my own opinion). It’s a good thing the Devour improves here then, as the 3.1-inch screen is less than desirable for typing out Emails and long text messages. Unfortunately I’d only give the Devour keyboard a “decent” rating – not terrible and not great, somewhere in the middle of the pack.
You can see how HTC did a great job configuring their sliding mechanism to allow for maximum keyboard surface area. I’m hoping a few other companies make this a priority, and if you ask me, LG is a prime candidate by emulating their Voyager/enV clamshell style form factor.
Software Review
The Devour runs Android 1.6 with Motorola’s custom build of Android – MOTOBLUR. The idea is to aggregate all your points of communication into two virtual “filing cabinets: Happenings and Messages. Happenings are status updates from friends on Twitter, Facebook and the like – stuff that flies in by the barrels but isn’t essential to your existence. Messages are 1-to-1 points of communication that are more critical to your everyday life – Emails, TXT messages and that sort of thing. They’re displayed on your home screen as widgets and a universal status updater allows you to push your own updates to numerous social networking sites all at once.
The most dedicated Android fans could have 2 main complaints about the Devour software:
- It runs an “old” version of Android
- They don’t particularly enjoy MOTOBLUR – it’s information overkill
I totally dismiss those 2 arguments in the above video and I think it’s worth pointing out why. While most readers of this blog always want the most up-to-date version of Android so they can have all the bells and whistles, there are a lot of customers who this won’t bother. Even Android 1.6 is pretty darn good and coming from a dumb phone or feature phone, they’ve already got so many new features to enjoy that an extra thing here and there isn’t going to kill them.
And don’t forget – Motorola says they WILL eventually update the Devour to 2.x, but until they you’re still able to enjoy the vast majority of Android goodness including Google Navigation.
I understand why people don’t enjoy MOTOBLUR – it’s just not for them. Either they’re not social networking fiends, it is information overkill, or they prefer other 3rd party apps on Android Market. While I think MOTOBLUR is an interesting idea and I especially enjoy the News/RSS widget, I can appreciate that we all have personal preferences. What I can’t understand is people making a decision to purchase or NOT to purchase a phone based on whether or not it has BLUR. If you don’t like it, simply drag all the widgets into the trashcan, turn off the notifications and set up your phone as if it were a Google Experience phone.
With the 1.6 and BLUR discussion out of the way, I have to say I was surprised how snappy and quick the UI of the Devour seemed. I didn’t put it under a ton of application stress, but it seems as though the processor had an easy time with the smaller and less resolved screen. The Voice Activation feature on the right side is a nice touch, especially useful if you’re in the car or multi-tasking – definitely a plus.
The biggest detraction of the Devour’s UI isn’t the software at all, but the hardware. If you’ve gotten used to a Droid or Nexus, the smaller screen size and lower resolution are apparent, but all-in-all the screen is decent (although sunlight caused problems). When all is said and done, despite being an older version of Android the Devour software holds its own and all but those demanding the Android elite should be satisfied.
Camera Review
There are two sides to reviewing a camera/camcorder: the actual experience TAKING the picture including UI/Options/Features and then of course the result – how your pictures and videos turn out. I’m sorry to say that on both accounts the Camera is mediocre at best. The camera is only 3MP fixed focus with no flash so I wasn’t expecting amazing results, but I thought the MOTOBLUR integration might offer a little more in terms of customizing, editing and other options:
The pictures are actually pretty bad. When the pixels are condensed and you’re viewing small versions of the full images they don’t look so shabby, but if you click through an image to see it’s original size you’ll notice how fuzzy and poor the quality truly is.
For example in this picture there were actually several Robins jumping around the forest floor. Click on the picture, which is the full size taken at 3MP, and see if you can spot any of them.
You probably can’t so here is some help – I cropped the Robin at full resolution and it looks like an Atari character:
But again, you just have to know what you’re getting and why/when you’re using the camera. Other pictures came out fairly well if you just want to use them as 8×10 pictures and don’t care about wonderful quality. I’ll post some of the decent ones below, which you can click through to see the full size, and then embed the full gallery below:
Web/Media Review
The biggest edge the Motorola Devour has in terms of web and media is it comes with Flash Lite, something most other Android phones don’t. This allows animated graphics, inline videos and flash games to be viewed/played directly from inside the Android browser. Beyond this the browser is pretty much stock Android and although confined by a 3.1-inch touchscreen, the web experience is pretty good.
(Advanced warning – this video is kind of boring)
In terms of music, the Motorola Devour doesn’t offer anything amazing, although the 3.5mm headset jack is appreciated and these days, seems to have become a smartphone prerequisite. The media player is simple – a bit too simple actually – but the audio quality both in ear and through the speakers is nice and loud.
Syncing media is something many of you will likely want to do and Motorola has some custom options which I try to overview in the above video. I’m not incredibly familiar with Motorola’s Syncing services because I usually just dump media onto my SD card and when I want to add/remove things just do so manually. I’ll likely be exploring a syncing service in the near future and try some out. One free Moto tool I haven’t tried that looks pretty darn good is Motorola Media Link which can also Sync your iTunes library. Pretty beastly if you ask me – we’ll have to review that in an upcoming vid.
The multimedia and web browsing experience is decent, held back mostly by the smallish screen and mediocre resolution. But if you’re an average smartphone user who doesn’t need the most vivid of mobile media experiences, the Devour’s offerings should suit you just fine.
Conclusion
Evaluated on its own, the Motorola Devour is an Android phone with decent specs that prides itself on its seemingly industrial aluminum sturdiness and rugged yet classy style. The phone is rock solid and could very likely be the strongest built Android phone to date – and it looks good doing so. Unfortunately, the Devour suffers an odd fate: it is made by the same manufacturer, provided on the same carrier, and has the same form factor as the Motorola Droid which clearly dominates the Devour in terms of specs not to mention its currently the most popular Android Phone on the market.
The Motorola Devour is a missed opportunity. While gadget critics knock companies for making light, cheap, plasticky devices with mediocre specs, this is EXACTLY what both Motorola and Verizon Wireless should have produced in this scenario. They could have bridged the gap between basic consumers and smartphone consumers, offering an affordable exodus into the land of Android, but instead have offered a less inspiring version of the Motorola Droid at a slight discount.
The Droid is clearly the better phone and unless you’re in love with the Devour’s looks, demand MOTO BLUR, or are a price conscious consumer and able to save a bunch, the Devour is easily overshadowed by what Droid Does. An affordable version of the Droid is what the Devour should have brought to the masses and although that doesn’t SEEM to be what Motorola created, hopefully Verizon’s pricing strategy will reflect that need… the demand is definitely there.
G1 still wins on the keyboard side, Droid wins in everything that isn’t a Blur-fantasia.
full review please! wats the deal you want to make money from the web views?
– I kinda dislike the look, especially the look of the keyboard. And the headphone jack, eh. Definitely don’t like that it’s bigger than the Droid, but smaller screen.
– Really wish I could remove SD card on my Droid like that.
– I’m with you on the back button being on the wrong side.. guess we’ll see what the button does for ya instead.
edit: @ dan, nah, its because he has hours and hours of compiling and uploading, and on yesterdays post he said he’d have something up in the morning.
Sample
Text
@dan – it takes a long time to compile and upload the vids, I have a BUNCH more, and promised to publish this review today. If I didn’t let it out slowly everyone would be waiting until tonight. Just trying to help :)
agreed with what he said so far… nice tough package but the guts and display just don’t cut it. it’s too bad, cuz it could have really been a serious phone. i don’t care about size and weight if it is a tank; which it appears to be. it’s just sad the specs don’t excite that much.
My issue is that the screen resolution is so much less than the Droid. If you are glancing at the two side by side the Droid pops off the table. The Devour just looks blah by comparison. The screen is smaller and the resolution is much, much lower. They keyboard is good, but not amazing. The larger worry is how they can expect people to pay $150 when the Droid is only $200 and looks so much better. Its a hard sell.
When does this phone come out for verizon?!!?! whats the exact date? This phone reminds me of a sidekick and I LOVE IT!! does it remind you of it? Ive had sidekicks in the past and this one looks like one and has ALOT more features
How does the speed of G1 Compare to the speed of the Devour?
@MrXtc…I have seen the video of it in action….it seems like its pretty snappy, which is one of the upsides of the device. I would say its faster than the G1.
Sample Text. FML.
What a waste. Motoblur sucks(yes I’ve used it on cliq). Screen sucks. Processsor sucks. I will keep my rooted G1 thank you, with 185 apps and counting(apps2sd). FREEDOM is great!
I like this. This phone will be popular and make a lot of people happy. Not the most powerful for Phandroids (I’m choosing to get a faster phone 1ghz and at least 3.7in+). I really like the design of this one in general. A lot of people like small phones (explains popularity of mytouch or Cliq). Plus external keyboard is a plus. So props to Motorola again. I’m a usually big HTC fan, but hope they make a new Android phone with a keyboard and better design.
After looking at it why do I still like my Driod?
I guess I just like the nice size and weight of Droid. It has some sleek feel to it. The phone is not that big compared to other phones (iPhone) with added dedicated keypad.
Hey Rob, I didn’t know that HTC was making Motorola phones now! That’s quite an interesting development! When did this happen???
you should probably work on video editing…
“sample text”? haha
also, why does the side bar still say “droid comming soon”
keep up to date :)
apps page could use some lovin too….
Finally someone who understands that not buying a phone because of Moto Blur is like not buying Windows because you don’t like Internet Explorer…. You don’t have to use it or even know its there.
the cliq is better
This is the BEST set of reviews that I have seen and I’ve looked at them all! CONGRATS on fabulous presentation!! Thanks!
Interesting point about Android 1.6 being quite acceptable for most people who weren’t necessarily looking for the latest and greatest. Someone whose dumbphone just died asked me if it was worth getting a HTC Tattoo (which has OS 1.6) as a first/budget smartphone. My opinion ultimately was that the hardware and screensize weighed against it. I realized that I had nothing really bad to say about it not sporting the latest version of Android, because this person wasn’t going to be a power user nor an app fanatic nor a gamer.
However, I’m not so sure about your argument that someone interested in the phone should not be dissuaded from the phone just because of MOtoblur. If you want the latest OS, and quick updates of the same, wouldn’t the Motoblur customization mean any updates (if it comes at all) are going to take some time?
Good thorough review man. I’ve had mine for a couple of days and agree with a lot of your points.
Looks like a nice phone for people who want to get a smart phone but they are not to keen on the touchscreen.
The Devour seems like a worthy competitor against the recent wave of feature phones masquerading as smartphones, with touch screens and similar form-factors. Like so many comparisons in this market, the usefulness, quality and performance of the device are relative, and depend strongly on context.
Hard to make a case for this phone when you can get the Droid for the same price.
http://wireless.amazon.com/
That was a great review. I really like the look of the phone, but the lower specs are why I will not get one.
According to the ads on this page, you can get it for as low as $49.99, which would make it amazing as a dumbphone replacement.
STFU Dan!
The Cliq is very popular right now, so I think this one will also be, except for Verizon Subscribers who outnumber T-mobile 3 to 1. Although Cliq has a 5mp Camera. As far as Android phone’s physical keyboard the Samsung Moment from Sprint has a winner.
@asqwerth, I wouldn’t be so sure. Moto has been making cell phones since, heck, they invented the things. I don’t think they quite got that smartphones, especially Android, are not phones but mini-PCs. They are learning that fast. They’ve already pushed one update to the Droid, with another on its way. That’s 2 more in 4 months than most others see in a product lifetime. I expect once they get blur ported to 2.1, it’ll be a lot easier to port forward to later releases. They’re slow to catch on, but they’re not stupid. If they can’t get a more rapid upgrade path established, they’re toast, and I think they know that now.
i think for the price its an overall good phone. i realized when massing with the droid, its keyboard was EXTREMELY underwhelming, so this has interested me how they can fix it. my current phone is a shock resistant brick that was $100, so this is a definite prospect
Kudos to them for the battery and sd card accessibility. It should be a requirement of all phones that the sd card is accessible easily and is accessible without removing the battery.
I tried this phone at Best Buy and tried two features. The keyboard 100% better than on the Droid. Second i tried pic message. Guess What ? This junk cant display a .gif picture just like Droid. I dont understand why they release such nice phones with basic abilites as pic messaging not working properly. It will only show the first frame of the .gif so nobody would have any idea that you sent them an animated picture. Sad to see yet another crippled Android phone.
The look and feel I would describe as industrial. Manly. It almost looks and feels like a part for a Ducati or Harley. I believe that is what Motorola was gunning for.
The Eris droid is the “cheap plasticy” phone referred to here. It is fully capable and cheap and light weight. Nothing on the market compares to the build quality you get with Devour. I believe the addition of the Rhapsody to go capability is a big deal too.
Need cheap? $49 is a stellar price for something so well made and capable. I am amazed at the offer on line price. The camera is the only real disappointment to me.
I have had this phone for about 3 and a half weeks. I had it before its debut. This is an awesome phone!!! I wouldnt trade it for anything.
Hey dude.
Great review, but I’m so confused. I’m a chick so I really like the look of the Devour better than the Droid. But, my friend has the droid, and I canNOT type on that keyboard. Do you think it would be a mistake to get the Devour over the Droid? Oh, and I’m a first time Android user.
Where and when has the devour ever been available for 49.99…the cheapest i have found is 99.99 at Best Buy
@beth, $30 at costco (instant rebate, sales tax on $150). I’ve also seen it online (Verizon?) for $30.
I have had the devour for 3 weeks now…it is awesome. The slider on the Droid is terrible…the Devour pops when slid open. It doesn’t seem any slower on the internet and unless you hold the devour next to the droid…the screen is great. Best thing is….Droids keyboard sux….and sux hard. The devour keyboard with the spaced keys and no stupid pointless d pad is amazing. The optical mouse on the front is great as well.
thought the devour was also offerred by SPRinT . lookng for a sturdy man phone thats’ not the cheap plastic junk. size, weight dont’ matter; Just want to be able to drop it without a pile of plastic junk to pick iup like the blackberrya and all the other junkberries out there now.
The perfect would be a usa CMDA (ripoff) and gsm international combination.
You know, I just got it yesterday, and although I haven’t tried any new apps, I still love the phone. I think people are looking past how much this phone is dedicated to highschool/senior/early 20’s kids. I have almost all of the profiles it says you can sign up for, and while some of the updates are over kill (I seriously wish you could choose WHO you get updates from!) its handy to have, and sometimes the only time I talk with people I haven’t seen since graduation cause they moved is during the summer, or over facebook. A lot of information is used on these sites, and I don’t understand why someone would buy a phone as a camera. I have a Zune to play music, a camera to take pictures, and a Phone to make calls. It just so happens that I can take the phone places like class and outside where i couldn’t be bothered to take my laptop.
Overall, so far, I’m in love with the phone. The keyboard is nice, very nice, and spacious, with some getting used to (as most phones take) I hope its going to be great. I sure will keep you guys posted though, but its an amazing step up from my old phone…
Also, the Mouse touchpad thing is a hillarious addition and a very interesting idea. I like it a lot.
I have had the devour for about a week now and very disappointed in it. this is my second one within a week! the software lacks the phone delays all my messaging and half the time i don’t even get them until i turn my phone off then back on again. to me a phone shouldn’t do that especially a new one. sure there maybe glitches and other things to work out on the newest phone verizon has to offer, but this shouldn’t be something that happens. when i want to send a text and receive one back i don’t want to have to turn the phone off then on to get it.
The Devour might be the most frustrating phone I have ever had. I’ve had it for under a month and have experienced the frequent reboots and delayed or missed calls/messages that many others are experiencing. Motorola really needs increase it’s quality control on its products before they are released.
The Devour can be summed up in four words:
“Great Gadget, TERRIBLE phone”
I am just now getting to know a little bit about my Devour. BTW, I got mine for FREE at Walmart.com. I cannot figure out how to get my recent and missed calls.
phone is a piece of shit, fuck you half ass motorola, such god dam hurry to keep up with the communist gook phones, it has shitty software, poor reception, no real options,horrible screen freeze ups, even better is fuck you verizon, your shitty service,im gonna fuck your stores up,making sure customers think twice about your service, thanks you fucking shitty media brain washed assholes for buying shit chinese phones, forcing american companies to out source to cheap third world countries, fuck you
i love the devour.
i hate the droid keybord that bothers me how close the button are and i like how the devour has slide assistnace for the qwerty slide up every says the carmera could be better but i have the intensity wich has like a 1.3 or 2.1 mp and those pics r fine
hey, just wanted to say I got my devour yesterday, for one dollar with a new activation, I have been extremely happy with it, the only complaint I have is the camera.
I just got the Devour today. The camera is what pissed me off. I currently owned the Droid. The keyboard is what got me on there. The Devours proccessing system is faster. I took all the moto blur stuff and threw it in the trash can. Motorola needs to put the Droid camera onthe Devour and the Devours keyboard on the Droid then both phones would be perfect. I go through phones like water and I am hoping this one will last because of the material. I will post an update of the Devour next week to see if it is a good phone.
I have had the Devour for two months now. I love the fact that you can post right to Facebook, etc., but the battery life sucks, the camera sucks, when you open and close the keyboard, the phone just randomly shuts off. When checking my voicemail, I get a blank screen when it asks for my password, making it almost impossible to get your messages. I would not get this phone again.
hey. so i’m getting a new upgrade soon and I saw the Motorola Devour. And At first it look AMAZING but then looking at some peoples’ comments, I can’t tell if it’s good or if it sucks? I currently have the Samsong Alias which has a horrible camera and shuts off when I delete messages. So I’m used to crap. But I have a question.. I’m a girl and I love having internet and all that jazz, so do you think I will like it? I’m confused on whats WRONG with it and whats GOOD about it?
Recently got this phone and I absolutely love it. People who are complaining about MOTOBLUR, and/or the big message bubble that are placed by default on the front of the screen have no concept of this phone.
All of those things can easily be removed, and changed. Furthermore you can just slide to the next desktop anyway… C’mon now.
Having a physical keyboard is nice as well. While I do agree it isn’t as good as it could have been, the keyboard is still very easy to use and convienent(sp).
Solid 9/10 for this phone!
People should also consider the SAR rating for the Devour is 0.45 W/Kg (head) while the Droid is 1.4 W/Kg (head). The FCC limit is 1.6, so the safe bet for radiation exposure is the Devour. One of the lowest I’ve seen.
I know this review has been around a while but I wanted to say (in case some still do not know this) the devour’s camera is NOT a fixed focus. There is a zoom button for photo taking and video taking. When in camera/camcorder mode, the volume buttons become the zoom -/+ buttons.
That said, my boyfriend has the droid and I have the droid devour, his is DEFINITELY the much better phone in many ways.
I Love The Devour i hadd itt forr a Few Months (:
On Second Devour and probably tomorrow, 10/26/2010 will be on the third….PIECE of “COMMODE WASTE” DO NOT BUY or Get stuck in a 24 month contract, you will be sorry…..
Has great features and is all that I could ever want it it worked all the time…..but sometimes won’t connect to Verizon at all while 2 other Verizon phones in my house have not problems. AND the battery time SUCKS>>>>>!!! need I say more!!UGH!!!!
I have one………….. Can’t wait till i can get a new one. nuff’ said
I have had it a month now and like the phone very much. I tried the droid but liked the feel of this phone better. I have not had all the problems some people seem to have. An occasional “force close app” is it and thats nothing. Make sure you update the software over the air and I bet most problems go away.
I can’t believe they let this phone out with the camera and video quality so bad. I mean, it REALLY sucks. I like the Android op sys but really, you can’t even take a pic unless the thing is practically mounted on a tri-pod. Not to mention it weighs twice as much as an Iphone and IT has an 8MP camera. WTF? Get it right f@#$%rs! Honestly, I can’t wait til Verizon gets the iPhone. I’ll be first in line!
I just got the Devour about 4 days ago.. it took getting used to, but overall this phone is cool. I don’t use the social networks so motoblur isn’t a big deal, but I like the solid construction and the rubber on the sides make it easy to hold and almost slip-proof.. It doesn’t have a built in radio, but you can download gtunes, pandora internet radio and other music services and it sounds amazing. also, vcast w/rhapsody and vcast videos (if you want to pay extra) should be more than enough for music lovers.. I know the camera doesn’t have a flash and it bothers me a bit, BUT having come from a destroyed env3 (i loved that phone too) this is an upgrade I can live with. I use navigation all the time, the keyboard accommodates my thumbs easily, I like the headphone jack being in the middle of the top of the device, and a battery cover helps prevent water damage. Overall this phone kicks butt, even with an older android OS. I got it free with a two year activation as well. seeing as how my env3 was destroyed it isn’t a bad deal at all.
I have had this phone for almost a year and have gone through about 6 warranty replacements. I like the phone itself but it keeps on having something different go wrong. The first time it wouldn’t get past the motoblur screen. another them the home button stopped working. another time I wasn’t able to receive calls. just many things going wrong wit the phone.
had this phone for less than and will be getting a fourth tomorrow.THIS PHONE SUCKS!
I’ve had the Devour for a month. I had a Droid Eris before. The Eris was a way better phone, and it was not great. The Devour screen cracked in my pocket day 2. The Blur version of Android is buggy and crashes at least once a day. I can’t run my favorite Droid apps. The keyboard is not anything wonderful. The phone doesn’t work at all below 32 degrees F. Voice mail downloads up to an hour after it’s sent. The battery lasts longer than the droid. That is its only virtue.
Also it’s so heavy it makes your pants droop.
Yuck! Wish I’d just gotten a blackberry.
I’ve had the Devour for a month. I had a Droid Eris before. The Eris was a way better phone, and it was not great. The Devour screen cracked in my pocket day 2. The Blur version of Android is buggy and crashes at least once a day. I can’t run my favorite Droid apps. The keyboard is not anything wonderful. The phone doesn’t work at all below 32 degrees F. Voice mail downloads up to an hour after it’s sent. The battery lasts longer than the droid. That is its only virtue.
Also it’s so heavy it makes your pants droop.
Yuck! Wish I’d just gotten a blackberry. Did I say it won’t tether? It really is a disappointment.