LG Ally Review
Google Android OSThe LG Ally is a inexpensive slider-style phone with a physical QWERTY keyboard, a 3,2 megapixel camera with flash, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networking.
It runs Google’s Android OS 2,1, and costs just $100 with a new two-year contract with Verizon Wireless, or just $50 if purchased on the carrier’s website.
BUILD & DESIGN:
The basic design aesthetic for the Ally is modern and functional. It’s black, and it is very solidly built. It’s about the same size as the HTC Droid Incredible and other premium phones, but somewhat thicker due to the QWERTY keyboard under the display. There is absolutely no «wiggle» whatsoever when you slide out the keyboard, and it locks firmly open when you slide up the display.
LG Ally from Verizon WirelessOverall the Ally would be a good choice for an older teen or a fumble-fingered adult, because it seems much sturdier than some of the other current smartphone options.
Even though it’s a bit thick compared to other phones, it still feels good in the hand and is definitely pocketable. However, if you’re a lady who dresses professionally for work, you may prefer to keep the Ally in your purse or briefcase to avoid the bulge in your dress slacks; folks in more casual attire won’t mind keeping the device in their pocket.
Display
The display looks nice, though perhaps not quite as sharp and blow-you-away gorgeous of other recent devices like the Incredible. Photos look good, though YouTube video was slightly disappointing and grainy.
The screen isn’t terribly bright either, which means that it will work fine indoors, or in low light conditions, but is almost completely unusable outside in normal to bright sunlight.
LG Ally from Verizon with Google Android OSKeyboard
The Ally has one of the best physical keyboards of any of the phones I’ve reviewed. It usually takes some practice for me to become proficient, because every mobile keyboard is different, and they all have their quirks. But the keys on the LG Ally are large, well-spaced, and have good feedback so you’re not constantly checking the screen to see if you’re hitting the right key. They’re illuminated for use in low light conditions as well.
I like the fact that this is a four-row keyboard, with a separate number row. My only small complaint about the keyboard is that the text for the alternative keys like punctuation isn’t quite as easy to read as it is on other keyboards I’ve tried. I’m sure that some more time with the device will give me the opportunity to learn where everything is so that I won’t have to look anymore. though I have to be honest — I’m not too worried about punctuation when I’m texting or emailing.
Other Buttons & Controls
There are four physical buttons underneath the display: call, home, menu, and disconnect, plus pressure-sensitive back and search buttons.
There’s a four-way navigation panel on the lower right side of the keyboard that I really like — it makes navigation a breeze.
The headphone jack is on the top, the volume buttons and charging port are on the left, and the (fully accessible) microSD slot and camera button are on the right side.
PERFORMANCE:
The LG Ally is quite responsive, which is nice — there’s nothing worse than having to wait for my calendar or email to load. I didn’t have any trouble with the touchscreen either — where I tapped was where I intended to tap, with no problems launching the wrong app, etc.
LG Ally from Verizon WirelessThe Ally is currently running Android OS 2,1, which is both powerful and easy to use.
Wireless/Call Quality
Although my initial call quality testing produced good results, more extensive testing has changed my opinion. Some of my test calls to landline phones sounded good, while others suffered from very poor sound quality with a great deal of background noise. At times there was some annoying clicking in the background.
I experienced the same mixed results when calling other mobile phones, and I was unable to piece together a pattern that explained the results. I typically get very good coverage and call quality from Verizon; my personal phone, the LG Dare, always gets good reception and the voice quality is good.
Wi-Fi works well, and I didn’t have any connectivity issue with any of the networks I tried.
LG Ally from Verizon with Google Android OSProductivity
Calendar and contacts apps are included with the LG Ally, but no task management or note taking applications.
A calculator and clock are also included, but the real star here is ThinkFree Office. The app allows you to view PDFs and Microsoft Office documents, whether they are located on your phone or in your Google Docs account. I was able to edit a spreadsheet from Google Docs, but was not able to edit a couple of my word processing documents, and I’m not sure why.
The Google Maps function works flawlessly, as expected. The app was able to pinpoint my location with a good degree of accuracy and speed, and the turn-by-turn spoken directions were accurate.
Other productivity apps are available for purchase in the Android Market.
Entertainment
The Android OS web browser performs well with quick page loads and smooth scrolling. Even very complicated web sites with lots of ads and sidebars look good; if you need to zoom in on a particular area you can double tap the display and the text is automatically resized to fit the screen.
The LG Ally’s voice search feature worked surprisingly well, with accurate voice recognition. Even though this model has a very nice keyboard, voice search can help save a lot of time.
The music players works great, and the sound quality and volume from the external speaker are good.
The Socialite feature aims to improve the social networking experience by integrating your Twitter and Facebook feeds into one unified stream of information. It works well, though it could stand to be faster loading updates.
A standalone MySpace app is also included, as is the Amazon MP3 app and the Android Market, where you can download free and paid games and apps to personalize your phone. Whether you want to add music or applications to your phone, the buying process is simple and downloads are fast.
LG Ally from Verizon with Google Android OSCamera
The 3,2 megapixel camera on the Ally takes acceptable photos in good conditions, but there are some issues with the picture quality.
The camera flash is quite strong and helps to fill in slightly shady areas to help even out exposure, but results were somewhat mixed. Some of the worst exposure problems came up during regular daylight photography while I was outside.
Certain areas of a photo would come out nicely, but if there was strong contrast between the subject and the background, the final results were often overexposed.
The zoom is a nice feature, but the results were less than satisfactory. Zoomed photos are very grainy and of relatively poor quality. Even worse, my LG Dare is a couple of years old now and also has a 3,2 megapixel camera, but takes much better photos.
For those reasons I wouldn’t suggest that you rely upon the Ally as a general purpose camera; it will work well enough for photos you might otherwise have missed, but you won’t be taking any prize-winning shots with this device.
Battery Life
Battery life is quite good; I am able to go for at least two days between charges, and sometimes a bit longer, if I don’t use the camera too much.
Even after relatively heavy usage with several phone calls and web browsing sessions, plus some photgraphy, I had no problem getting through the day and no real anxiety that I wouldn’t be able to finish the day before getting home to plug it in and recharge.
CONCLUSION
LG Ally from Verizon WirelessI really want to like the LG Ally more than I do, but it’s hard. I like the overall design of the phone, it’s very solidly built, and the battery life is better than I expected. Unfortunately the display is fine indoors, but unusable outdoors, and the voice quality and camera are somewhat disappointing.
The price is quite reasonable, however, so if you’re a bargain-conscious consumer you should still consider the Ally. It’s a solid contender for less than $100, though if you have the opportunity you should try it out in a Verizon store before taking the plunge.
Pros
* Really nice keyboard
* Solid construction
* Excellent battery life
Cons
* Inadequate screen brightness
* Disappointing camera
* Call quality issues
