Today for review I’ve got another phone for you, this time one for the Verizon network, it’s the LG Ally, an Android based phone that they’re calling a superphone. The Ally is running the newer version of Android, and for the most part it seems similar to other versions, but it does seem much snappier and quicker, but it could be the hardware in the phone that helps that along. I’ve enjoyed my time with this phone, it has a nice sized full QWERTY keyboard, yes it’s slider, but the buttons are nice to type on for whatever you’re doing be texting or sending an email. I’m surprised with the battery life, it’s very good, my experience with Android based phones and battery life hasn’t been a good one, but the LG Ally can last a couple days without recharging it. The Ally also features a decent 3.2Mp camera that even has a macro mode, so read on to learn more about a fairly decent phone from Verizon and LG…

We’ll start off with the unboxing video:

So now that the video is out of the way, in the box you’ll find a USB charger, USB cable, documentation and the phone itself.

The Ally has a nice large screen, it’s colorful and clear even in bright light, expect direct sunlight of course. Below the screen you’ll find two soft touch buttons and below those you’ll find four hardware buttons for call, home, menu and end call.

The back is fairly plain except for logos and the camera along with it’s flash:

On the top you’ll find an audio port, left side you’ll find volume and USB, on the right side you’ll see microSD slot and camera button.

The LG Ally is a slider and it opens to reveal a nice sized QWERTY keyboard that has full number line and directional pad.

Specifications:

LG Ally

Full Retail Price: $369.99
Price with 2yr contract: $199.99
Online Discount: – 100.00
Your Price : $99.99

Be ready for anything with LG Ally by your side. Talking or texting, touching or typing, uploading or downloading, this multi–talented superphone does it all—and does it with style. What you’ll see up front is an ergonomic silver–and–black case, tempered glass touchscreen, microSDslot, and touchscreen–qwerty keyboard combo; underneath, the Ally gives you the ability to customize home screens, and switch from surfing the web and emailing to text messaging and updating your social status. Plus turn–by–turn directions from Google Maps gets you to the action, fast and the 3.2mp camera/video captures your heroic or ordinary moments. And with 30,000 apps in the Android Market you’ll be ready for any adventure today—and a new one tomorrow.

DESIGN:
* 3.2″ Touch Screen, 800 x 480 Pixels, 262K Color TFT
* Slide–Out QWERTY Keyboard

CAMERA/VIDEO:
* 3.2 Megapixel camera with Autofocus and Flash
* Dedicated Camera /Video Key

GENERAL:
* Android™ 2.1 OS; Google Experience Device
* Integrated Google and Facebook Contacts in LG Socialite
* Push Gmail and Exchange, Google Calendar
* 4GB microSD pre–installed
* Wi-Fi Capable
* Bilingual Interface: English/Espanol
* S-GPS and aGPSCapable
* Speakerphone
* MP3 Ringtones
* Embedded Ringtones, Vibrating Alerts, and Silent
* Phone Book Contact Capacity Dependent upon Optional Removable Memory
* Device insurance available
* TTY compatible
* Hearing Aid Compatibility = M4/T3

SPECIFICATIONS:
* All Digital, 800/1900 MHz CDMA, EVDO Rev A
* Chipset: MSM7627, 600MHz
* Memory: ROM 512MB, RAM 256MB
* Dimensions: 4.56″ (H) x 2.22″ (W) x 0.62″ (D)
* Weight: 5.57 ounces
* Usage Time: Up 450 minutes OR
* Standby Time: Up to 500 hours
* SAR: Head: 1.36 W/kg; Body: 0.74 W/Kg

It might be a new version of Android on the LG Ally, but it still looks pretty much the same:

The main menu is a 3D looking interface where when you scroll it goes off in the distance at the top of the screen sort of like the opening of Star Wars does, or at least that’s what it reminds me of..

On the menu you’ll find plenty of things to see, most of it is real and not trial ware like some other companies stick on their phones. A few of the games you’ll see in the pictures above are ones that I added because I was checking out the hardware in gaming. One the games is the shortcut titled R. Thunder Lite, it’s racing game and it looks beautiful and plays smoothly on the LG Ally. I’m impressed with the capabilities for gaming on this phone, the hardware can handle it with ease.

One of the things you’ll find on the LG Ally is ThinkFree Office:

As far as online is concerned you can access YouTube through the shortcut and of course regular browsing and then you have basic things like email access The browser is quick and web pages render perfectly fine.

The LG Ally has a decent music player, but the built-in speaker is a bit lacking so I would suggest using headphones for a better experience. The speaker though is very loud so it’s great for speakerphone style calls, but just not for music.

The phone dialer is nice and big, taking up most of the screen. Phone calls are fine on the Verizon network, no problems there and the calls were nice and clear with no interference or dropping.

The battery life of the LG Ally is very good, the best I’ve seen for a smartphone running Android so far. I got two days without doing much of anything except for calls and email, but about a day and half with fairly heavy usage like browsing the web, bluetooth and gaming. As with any phone though, battery life will depend on how you use it and what you do with it.

Under settings you’ll find the usual stuff, no surprises here. You can also change the themes, only two come with the phone though.. the LG Home theme is interesting but not something I would want to use all of the time, I much prefer the basic Android theme really. It’s essentially all just all re-worked a bit with some tweaks from LG, and not for the better truly, I’d skip it and stick with the Android theme.

The Camera on the LG Ally, isn’t too bad, it’s one of the best I’ve seen and used, especially indoors where others don’t perform well. It does have a Macro mode, which is missing on many phone cameras, and it does have a flash.

When using the camera toolbars appear on the right and left sides of  the screen, they do disappear after a few seconds though so you get a clear view.

From the bar on the left side you can access things like flash, zoom, brightness, and macro or auto focus.

Under settings you’ve got plenty of options like size, scene mode, ISO, white balance and effects:

Here’s some sample pictures taken outside, these were taken at my kids school while I was waiting for them:

The next few were taken indoors in bright light with auto focus:

Here’s zoomed in from the same distance:

Then here is close up with Macro mode:

Macro mode works very well as you can see. The second picture looks a bit grainy but that is actually the cover of the DVD picture. The pictures aren’t very bad really, a lot better than I expected them to be, but still not great. The close up ones though are surprisingly good. The camera is fast, it’s quick to focus and take the picture, in a matter of seconds you’re ready to take the next one. Overall the pictures are decent, but it’s not going to replace a point-and shoot camera, and it’s nothing like the HTC Incredible. Still though in a pinch you can take some good pictures with practice with this phone.

Conclusion:

The LG Ally is not a bad choice is you’re looking for a mid-level Android based phone, the hardware is sufficient to keep the lag down to a minimum to none at most times and you won’t have any issues with video or gaming usually. The Ally has a nice large, high resolution screen on it, something that you’ll see on higher end phones, and it’s a welcome addition to this phone really.

When using the Ally it might fell and look like a high end phone, but you’ll find that it isn’t in that there are time where it will slow down, especially at odd times like just swiping back and forth. The processor is only  a 600Mhz one, but it amazes me that gaming and video can be so smooth but yet something so simple as sliding back and forth can slow everything down.

The keyboard on the Ally is one of the nicest I’ve used and the screen is just beautiful truly.

The phone is big, and rather heavy, but I like that in a phone, some of you won’t though I’m sure.

n>All in all though the LG Ally is a welcome, low-priced addition to the Verizon and Android line of phones.

Pros:
+Well made phone
+Good battery life
+Decent camera with macro mode
+Decent hardware in the phone itself for gaming etc
+Wonderful keyboard
+Good call quality

Cons:
-Built in speaker not that good
-Slows down at the oddest of times
-Big and rather heavy

Grades:
Overall
Design
Performance

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