Devouring Moto's Devour

Just days after I first got to touch it at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, I have the Motorola Devour in my hands. Also known as the Calgary (blame Canada!), the Devour is Verizon's third Google Android phone and its first handset with MotoBlur.

I'll have a full review for you soon, but I can offer some initial impressions in the meantime. The earlier analysis indicating that the Devour looks like the Moto's Droid's little brother is indeed true. The Devour is about the same size and shape as its predecessor, but its tapered ends give it a sleeker look. I really like the shiny aluminum skin--it feels great in the hand and it gives the phone a welcome, sturdy feel.

The display is relatively sharp, though we think it could be a bit bigger. Next to the display is what Moto calls a "thumbpad." Part button and part optical reader, the thumbpad is a Devour highlight. Already we prefer it over a toggle or trackball--heck, we might even pry ourselves away form the touch screen to use it. The keyboard appears to be fine for now. The keys are spaced far apart and they're slightly raised.

The Devour runs Android OS 1.6, but it offers a beta version of Google Maps Navigation. Up until now that originated on devices that ran Android 2.1. Other features are standard and the handset runs smoothly.

That's it for now, but check back later for a full review.