Verizon Drops 'Droid' Brand For Newest Android Phone

More Android phones are coming to Verizon Wireless, but the latest one won’t get the carrier’s “Droid” branding.

The Motorola Devour, announced today, is scheduled to launch in March. It’s Verizon’s first Android phone with the “Motoblur” user interface, which is basically Motorola’s take on a simple Twitter/Facebook/MySpace app.

Why won’t this be called the “Droid Devour” or something like that? Many have asked Verizon for the official reason, but I suspect that Verizon will save that for high-end Android devices, while this seems like a more inexpensive, mainstream device. It might also be specific to phones without the “Motoblur” interface.

Key features:

· Touch-sensitive navigation pad

· 3.1” capacitive touch screen

· Pre-loaded applications such as Gmail, Google Talk™, YouTube™, Google Search™ and Google Maps™ with Google Maps Navigation.

· Android Market™ gives users access to more than 20,000 applications.

· Happenings Widget – MOTOBLUR automatically pushes status updates, wall posts and photo updates from popular social networking sites to the Happenings Widget on the home screen. Customers can flick through the latest updates and fire back responses using the slide-out full QWERTY keyboard.

· Universal Inbox – MOTOBLUR gathers texts, social network messages and e-mails into one home screen widget for quick response.

· Back-Up and Security – Contacts, log-in information, home screen customizations, e-mail and social network messages are backed up automatically on the secure MOTOBLUR portal. The portal also allows customers to use the phone’s fully integrated aGPS to help locate the phone if misplaced. Remote wipe easily clears information from a lost device.

· 8 GB microSD™ card pre-installed

· Bluetooth® profiles supported: A2DP, HID, HSP, HFP, AVRCP and GA

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