The LG Ally is the cheapest Android phone you can find on Verizon Wireless, which would be $99 on a two-year agreement. It’s an all plastic build, including the screen, which makes everything feel… plasticky. I tested, flown over 300+ miles, and navigated with the Ally for quite a while, and this post was written while tethering to the device. So what do I have to say about the Ally? In one word word: decent. In longer words, “it’s all plastic, and is no DROID, but it’s meh.” Let’s move on to figure out why…
Price as Reviewed: $99.99 on 2-year contract with Verizon Wireless
Full Disclosure: Sent on-time by the Fedex Man (read: LG has sent this unit for review.)
So What’s It Like, Stef?
Let’s see: it’s an all plastic build, has a 600Mhz processor, 3.2-inch WVGA 800×480 pixel screen, 3.2 megapixel camera with LED flash, Android 2.1 with a light LG skin, and the option to switch between the Nexus One’s original Android 2.1 interface (including the 3D apps cube). In short, I sort of like the Ally as an “entry-level” Android phone. But almost every instance where I come to that conclusion, the Ally WILL ultimately fail me.
The Aesthetics And Then Some Of The Ally
The simplest question you can ask is “Is the Ally awesome”? The LG Ally has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, while being non-symmetrical, is a million (scratch that, a billion) times better than the original Moto DROID’s keyboard. And I find that necessary, due to the Ally’s screen size, which makes it difficult to type holding the phone vertically. In most cases, I’d become fed up with turning the review unit on hand horizontally, because of one simply issue that I’ll talk about in the next chapter: it’s slow. And one more thing: the Ally is no pretty piece of hardware either. It’s as if LG’s mobile engineer team said (Dilbert style), “Look, everybody’s sneezing Android phones at this point, so we’d better do something, fast.” And so the Ally’s design was probably created within 48 hours. Does it intrigue you, much like the other entry-level Android slider on Verizon — the Devour? Nope. But like a trusty plastic gadget, it’ll serve you well (supposedly).
The Real Problem Here Is That It Lags
Open up the Navigation app from Google. It’s great. Now figure out where you want to go, then fire away. Waiting. Waiting. Waaaaiiting.
And a trifle later.**
It crashes, reboots, and throws up on you by sending you back to the homescreen. This is the main thing I found out about the Ally, when I needed it the most with my parents, while on a highway. And being pressed for time. Under pressure, the Ally can only freak out. When you’re sitting around though, for some reason the Ally zips along playfully. And to further prove my testing, I killed all the apps on the phone, then had it crash on me again while giving it one heavy app (or a simply phone call on occasion). Hopefully this will all be resolved with a possible update to 2.2 FroYo (or simply just a fix to the 2.1 Eclair that it uses).
So What Else Do You Have Against The Ally Now?
Nothing actually. The battery life depends on the type of usage; pressing it all day it lasts till sunset; being very timid lets it last until midnight.
So, About That Camera??
It impresses me. It impresses anyone I’ve shown the Ally to, and even ditched my DSLR (yes, I did) for a quick shot. Of course, I promptly picked up my DSLR again, but you get the picture (take that as a pun, here’s a gallery!). Also, the Ally can only shoot up to a jittery 640×480 pixels when it comes to video, though it’s still watchable.
LG Ally Camera Tests
Some Software Changes (For The Errr, Worse?)
Since the LG Ally is the Iron Man Phone, there had to be a special LG skin for it that you can turn on and off, right? In this case, you have a weather widget that takes more space than it should, and Socialite (which would be social networking out-of-the-box). I wouldn’t recommend it due to the Twitter side of it (Socialite) not letting you retweet follower’s tweets, or even it’s usability, due to its immense lag.
Conclusion
If you’re stripped for cash and feel like having a smartphone is simply a fashion statement (not that anyone will go “Ohhhh” when they see the Ally’s plastic body) than the Ally is good enough to make phone calls, or make a check-in on Foursquare (or use the official Twitter app, which shows no lag). There’s also a strange problem I’ve found with the Ally: Google Earth doesn’t show up for it. While it does meet the requirements for that app, Google Earth never appears in the Market, so forget about seeing the world in 3D.
Otherwise, the Ally makes a “meh” budget-friendly Android phone. It’s more like a cellphone, but running Android 2.1, capacitive touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY, and all.
Pros:
- Android 2.1 for a budget slider
- Snappy and great camera
- Decent QWERTY slide-out
Cons:
- Design is uninspired
- Is bulky, and heavy
- Completely made out of plastic
- Battery life can be short
[Thanks, LG!]
** Stolen from the Reliant Robin scene in TopGear, Episode 1, Series 15.
