LG Ally Review

Review

Overview

Pros: The LG Ally is certainly a stable device, and it features Android 2.1 Eclair. The slide-out QWERTY keyboard feels and works great. The device also comes with a 3.2-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi, Stereo Bluetooth, and EV-DO Rev. A.

Cons: The photo quality isn’t all to great. The Ally lacks Verizon’s V-Cast applications

Intro

If you’re in the market for aesthetics, or if looks will play a big role in whcih device that you decide to go with, then the LG Ally may not be too appealing to you. It’s definitely not an ugly or standoffish device, but it is rather plan. If you can get past the crust of the Ally, you will definitely notice some positive features about the phone. Just some of these features include a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a high resolution capacitive touchscreen display, haptive and physical search, menu, home, back, and end call keys, and a very light form factor to it. Although the device weighs only 5 and a half ounces, it still feels like something that can remain solid for a few years of abuse, which is a great thing to say about a smartphone these days. Other than the basic, run of the mill features, though – the LG Ally still blends in with the crowd of other black bar slider devices.

Looks & Characteristics

Some desirable features? The LG Ally’s got plenty of them. This device may not be your next Droid, but it certainly serves it’s purpose of being a mid-line Android smartphone just as it should. The LG Ally features an ergonomic black and silver outer case, a 3.2″ tempered glass capacitive touchscreen display, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a microSD slot that can support up to 16GB of extra storage, it supports Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, has Bluetooth capabilities for bluetooth 2.1, a built-in MPS and WMA music player with library, repeat, and shuffle features, including stereo Bluetooth capabilities, and an easy-to-access one-touch speakerphone and voice commands make using the device a dream. The LG Ally may not look like anything special, but it is far from being ordinary in a game where so many devices fall short of what everyone expects. With the LG Ally, you definitely get what you expect from the device, and you may even find a little bit more of what you didn’t.

Using The Phone

Using the LG Ally, like many other Android phones, tends to be more intuitive. Android 2.1 is, of course, very impressive. The more you’re playing with it, the more you’re going to figure out on the device – I guess that is sort of obvious. You’ll notice that there are 5 home screens – all fully customizable with shortcuts to texts, email, social networking, and other applications. The Android Market enables you to access thousands of Android Applications as well. A Luminous Sensor lies on the device which is designed in order to detect light conditions and adjust the display back-light accordingly, and a proximity sensor locks the touchscreen while you’re talking on the phone to avoid accidentally hanging up on whoever is on the other line. The LG Ally features S-GPS support for turn-by-turn Google Maps directions. Lastly, the 3.2-megapixel camera might not be the best on the block, but it’s nothing that I would complain about. In fact, the camera features 5 different resolutions, zoom up to 4 times, macro mode for closeups, a panorama mode, customizable white balance, shutter sounds, color effects, and it even has a self-timer. Talk time is 7.5 hours max, and the device features 500 hours max of standby, at least that is what the manual states.

Main Highlights

If you’ve been considering purchasing the LG Ally, I would definitely say that it is worth the investment. It seems that LG aimed at creating an advanced device that everyone could afford simply by making the components great, but not top-of-the-line amazing. This device really has everything that any smartphone user would desire, although maybe it could have a higher resolution camera on-board – for those of you who don’t use the camera that often to begin with, this really doesn’t make too much of a difference anyway. Plus, having an OS like Android 2.1 featured on it can make just about any device worth trying.

Specs

The LG Ally is a great device which has a solid design and a lot of desireable features for an Android Device. Running Android 2.1 Eclair, this phone does nothing less than impress. On the outside, it may seem plain, but once you get your hands on the LG Ally, you’re going to want one all to yourself. Definitely a solid Android smartphone.

Battery

OEM Model Number	N/A

Size	1500 mAh

Standby Time	500 hours

Talk Time	7.5 hours

Type	Li-Ion



Camera & Video

Resolution	3.2-Megapixel (Flash: LED; Auto focus, Macro mode, White balance, Effects, Self-timer, Panorama, Scenes)

Live TV	N/A

Streaming Video	Yes



Connectivity

Bluetooth	Yes

USB	Yes

WiFi	Yes

Display

Colors	LCD

Resolution	480 x 800 pixels

Size	3.2

Type	TFT


Memory

Built-in	102 MB

Memory Card Slot	Yes

Memory Card Type	MicroSD (TransFlash)

Memory Card Max Input	16 GB

Network

Modes	CDMA

Frequencies	800, 1900

Data Network	Yes

Type	1xEV-DO rev.A


Size & Design


Antenna	Internal

Weight	158 g

Dimensions	116 x 56 x 16 mm

Phone Style	Bar Slider


Basic


Flight Mode	Yes

FM Radio	Yes

GPS Navigation	Yes

Multiple Languages	Yes

Push-to-Talk	No

Vibrate Alert	Yes

Contacts


Phone Book Capacity	No

Multiple Numbers per Name	Yes

Picture ID	Yes

Ringer ID	Yes

Voice Dialing	Yes


Messaging


Instant Messaging	Yes

Picture Messaging	Yes

Predictive Text Entry	Yes

Text Messaging	Yes

Text Message Templates	No


Organizer


Alarm	Yes

Calculator	Yes

Calendar	Yes

Voice Memo	Yes

If there is a discrepancy in the specifications shown here, please let us know at specs@cellphonetrek.com.

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Compare

The LG Ally is a great device which has a solid design and a lot of desireable features for an Android Device. Running Android 2.1 Eclair, this phone does nothing less than impress. On the outside, it may seem plain, but once you get your hands on the LG Ally, you’re going to want one all to yourself. Definitely a solid Android smartphone.

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