So why did YOU choose the LG Ally?

[Ekim Gram]

I'm a computer tech and while I keep up with the latest technology at my job, I myself have always been far beyond the times (my current hard drive on my home desktop is from 2003!)

I got tired of my crappy flip phones always breaking and with the upgrade, a new one would be $30. I decided to check out the cheapest smart phone they had at Verizon and that's when I found the Ally. And you know what? $50 after rebate! Best phone decision I've made.

 

[zaphodbebleebrox]

yea, i got mine for free, keyboard was most important. if it aint got a keyboard,
it aint sh*t ! ha ha

 

[dots]

I actually was first discovering android around the time i was thinking of getting a new phone. There was an upgrade available and the Ally was free and it was android so i went for it not knowing what to expect. Ironically the upgrade was just around the time the Ally came out so i had to pre-order it. And i can say im more than satisfied with it.

The fact that android is so customizable drew me to it. If you asked me if i would trade my Ally for an more powerful phone. My answer would be no. Because it does everything that i need it to do and im more than satisfied with it.

The keyboard is also pretty damn good. Find myself using it all the time.

 

[blay]

My decision was based on price & keyboard. Now that I have the phone and a taste of Android, I do wish I had of picked up a more powerful device. Snapdragon seems a much better processor for Android. That being said, I got what I could afford and quirks aside, I am enjoying my LG Ally.

 

[GameMisconduct]

I got the Ally because I used to have the Dare. I wanted something that looked and felt similar to the Dare but with more customization to have the phone do what I need it to. Plus the Skype support.

 

[13fullmoon]

yea, i got mine for free, keyboard was most important. if it aint got a keyboard,
it aint sh*t ! ha ha

Same here... free is best!

 

[flyinjoe13]

I wanted an Android smartphone with a keyboard so that meant it was either the Ally or Droid at the time. Between the two and not being a power user, I couldn't see a big enough difference in specs and overall performance to justify paying $150 dollars more for a Droid. Plus the Ally had a slightly smaller form factor and when it comes to my cell phone, smaller is definitely better IMO.

Three months later, I still have no regrets about my purchase. Maybe I just got lucky, but my Ally has been one of the most reliable pieces of technology I have ever owned. I can honestly say that I have never had a single problem with this phone. That includes no force closes, no random reboots, exceptional battery life (at least two days out of a single charge), no lag, etc. The only problem I can think of is the 50% bug, but that's not an Ally problem. Other phones have it as well. And to get rid of it all I need to do is put the phone into airplane mode for a minute or two and it's gone all day until I shut the phone off at night.

 

[13fullmoon]

I wanted an Android smartphone with a keyboard so that meant it was either the Ally or Droid at the time. Between the two and not being a power user, I couldn't see a big enough difference in specs and overall performance to justify paying $150 dollars more for a Droid. Plus the Ally had a slightly smaller form factor and when it comes to my cell phone, smaller is definitely better IMO.

Three months later, I still have no regrets about my purchase. Maybe I just got lucky, but my Ally has been one of the most reliable pieces of technology I have ever owned. I can honestly say that I have never had a single problem with this phone. That includes no force closes, no random reboots, exceptional battery life (at least two days out of a single charge), no lag, etc. The only problem I can think of is the 50% bug, but that's not an Ally problem. Other phones have it as well. And to get rid of it all I need to do is put the phone into airplane mode for a minute or two and it's gone all day until I shut the phone off at night.

What is the 50% bug?

 

[KCrick]

I got the Ally because I was too stupid to wait a week and save another hundred dollars to buy the Droid X

 

[UncleMike]

I've had my Droid since day 2, and recently bought a used Ally for my son (activating it on Page Plus, so new with a contract wasn't an option). He wanted a sideways slider keyboard, I wanted Android and something was relatively inexpensive and wouldn't plummet in value a day after purchase like an overpriced prepaid feature phone would.

I'm almost jealous. Had the Ally been available when I bought my Droid it would have been a difficult choice. The keyboard on the Ally is in another league when compared to the Droid, and I prefer the haptic feedback on the Ally as well (it's much more subtle, yet still unmistakable).

When my first year with my Droid is up, I might actually consider getting an Ally at the contract price if it's still easily rootable. I never wanted to root my Droid, and haven't. But on the Ally (especially after the last update) there were several app that I just didn't want, or want running at startup, on my son's phone. Within an hour I was able to root the phone and stop those apps from running or even appearing in the app drawer.

Another plus for the Ally - the battery cover stays put!

 

[79caprice]

I had the LG Envy Touch. I loved the phone, especially the keyboard, but was disappointed with the available apps. I wanted to take the jump to an Android phone, but didn't want to shell out a ton of money on a platform I was unfamiliar with. The Ally had everything I wanted. Only 50 bucks, a nice keyboard, Android OS, and a familiar look and feel. So far the phone has exceeded my expectations. I've found some amazing apps. Ya, it can be a little laggy sometimes, but then, every multimedia phone I've owned has been too. When my contract is up then maybe I'll get a high end Android phone, but for now this phone is perfect for me!

 

[skater95]

Well the LG Ally was offered to me through craigslist for my Droid Eris

 

[CZEN2OOO]

This is a interesting story for me. I live in a place that doesn't have a Verizon so when i was on vacation in Ohio I was eligible for my 2 year upgrade. After doing research for about a month i narrowed it down to 2 phones the Incredible or the Droid x. When i went to Verizon the Incredible was out of stock due to the screen manufacturing problems and the Droid x didn't come out for 3 more days. However I was only going to be in town for 1 more day and if i didn't a phone right then there was no telling (at the time) when i was going to be able to visit a Verizon store so i let the sale person talk me into the Ally (plus my girl friend was rushing me at the time because we were supposed to have dinner at some restaurant and were going to be late). I didn't do any research on that phone so i really didn't know what it did or did not have. At first i really was impressed with it I came from the LG Voyager so the keyboard on the Ally was great but after the first couple of days i had it i started having problems with it. There is actually allot more to this story but it makes me mad to even think about it plus I don't think anyone really cares but yea so i am stuck with the Ally.

 

[solo65impala]

I got the Ally because it was buy one get one free with Verizon. My wife and I both needed phones, and $50 was about all I wanted to spend. To say the least, I am happy with it. Android with a keyboard that's better than the more expensive Droids, it has surpassed my expectations. Just wished the battery lasted longer.

 

[Johnny Langton]

The Ally has a keyboard that is actually worth having. None of the Motorola Droids have a keyboard that is useable-they're all crap.
That pretty much sums it up.
JL

 

[sookster54]

Yup, keyboard is its biggest plus and that's probably on everyone's list in this thread. A phone with a good keyboard combined with a good OS is hard to find, and the Ally (and Shine Plus) gets that, the Motorola Charm is alright too but has some severe drawbacks. I too don't like the Motorola Droid/Milestone nor Backflip's keyboard.

 

[thedrizl]

i was due for an upgrade, and wanted to check out android but not spend a lot of money. the ally was free after rebate, had a usable keyboard, and was more compact than the droid or incredible.

so far i love it more than my blackberry, but next will definitely be a high-end droid.

 

[wgbeatty]

Had GREAT luck with my LG Dare, the price was right on the Ally when my upgrade time came around. Keyboard on the Ally has been great for me! Typing emails on the road has been fairly painless. I've customized the Ally enough that I am WAY more pleased with it than when it was completely stock. The devs here have dare I say, saved this phone? lol. Maybe I'll just say they helped make it a slick phone..IMO.

 

[laurentypo]

I had an Eris (I actually had like 4 of them) that didn't ever ring when people called, so Verizon offered me the Ally.

 

[Johnny Langton]

The devs here have dare I say, saved this phone? lol.

I think that's the general consensus, and I totally agree. The Ally gets a bad rap from those that are simply looking at CPU speed and storage.
JL

 

[wgbeatty]

I think that's the general consensus, and I totally agree. The Ally gets a bad rap from those that are simply looking at CPU speed and storage.
JL

Right on. When I researched the Ally before purchase, the idea that I got was that it wasn't a powerful phone and it didn't have a great deal of memory. I think some are expecting a "miracle" with the custom ROM's/kernels, etc. I'm glad dev is happening, but except the phone for what it is.

With all the stuff I've learned here (particularly in the all things root area), it's actually become a fun phone to use and is a pretty respectable performer.

 

[stevenpearce0188]

I ordered mine on an upgrade that was from me returning my Pantech Jest within my 30 worry free guarantee and Verizon resetting my contract, I wanted something that was free but an android device, since I have used android in the past and I believe it to be the most advanced OS around, so I ordered it and it will be here next Tuesday, I had previously played with the LG Ally and I liked it.. Plus I couldn't beat FREE!

 

[jinwons]

The Ally is still a solid mid-range android phone with great keyboard even compared to the new mid-range phones like LG Optimus, Vortex, Samsung Transform, Motorola Flipside, etc. They all have similar specs. I like Ally's 800X480 WVGA screen but wish it's a little bigger like 3.5". 3.2" in Ally is a little small for web browsing. But it has very high pixel density, so viewing texts on web is sharp and clear. Also 104Mb of internal storage is too small. Those are my only gripes on Ally. The new Vortex seems like a good one too and I wonder if Verizon intends to replace Ally with it or let them sell together. LG really makes excellent mid-range android phones with good build quality and they just need to make high end ones with top notch CPUs, screens to go against HTC, Samsung.

 

[netizenmt]

Well, I was up for my new every 2 deal, and I really didn't want another Blackberry. Android intrigued me, but I didn't want to shell out extra money for a phone I wasn't sure I would like. Got my Ally as a free phone and I loved it immediately. Then the unexpected reboots started...

And then I found this place, made some friends, learned how to root, goofed around with a few custom ROMS, discovered the one that served me best...

And now I -REALLY- love my Ally!!
LG Ally running Raptor v0.2 BETA 22
OC to 768 Stable and Sweet!

 

[glock075]

Well.. I was a hardcore Blackberry/Windows OS man for quite a while.. I became interested in Android mainly because of the market and the TON of programs available..

Why the Ally? Well. It was cheap (err sorry 'inexpensive').. I liked the keyboard mainly 'cause my big fingers dont do so well on touchscreen.. The Ally is definitely NOT for the big gamer or someone who watches a lot of movies/media, etc.. But for what I do (surf, email, angry birds (SO DAM* ADDICTING), etc.) it does just fine for me..

Other than the 50% bug, I've had no real complaints with it..

* Velocity 0.3, OC/TURBO, running at 787 MHZ with no problems!

Cheers