LgAlly
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How would you change LG's Ally?
LG didn't hold back when it came time to market its Ally, but was a tie-in with one of the summer's biggest blockbusters really enough? We found some rather unforgivable flaws during our testing, but that's honestly beside the point -- we're here to hear about your thoughts on the device. Priced initially at just $100 on contract, it was (and still is, to an extent) one of the best deals going for an Android-based smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard, but has it really lived up to your expectations? Are you wishing you had held out a bit longer? Is the keyboard really a winner? How do you like / dislike the UI overlay? How's it handle when held left-handed? Go on, get really real in comments below. We're all ears.
LG's $100 Ally crashing Verizon stores on May 20th, pre-orders start tomorrow (update: now with specs)
We had a hunch that LG's Android 2.1-based Ally would see its first customers on May 20th, and Verizon Wireless has finally opened up and confirmed as much this morning. The Iron Man 2-infused smartphone -- which we spent some time with yesterday -- will be available in all VZW stores beginning May 20th, with pre-orders going live for phone and web customers tomorrow. We've already given you the rundown when it comes to specs (they're after the break for those with memories shorter than their shoelaces), but now we're able to confirm that it'll sell for $99.99 after a $100 mail-in rebate and a new two-year contract. A well-specced Android smartphone for under a Benjamin? Not bad, LG. Update: Nothing in particular to write home about, but LG has just unveiled the Ally's nearly complete spec sheet. [Thanks, Rey E.]
LG Ally works its Iron Man cred, leaves a few loose ends to tie up
We'll admit it, we really can't find anything straight-out "wrong" with the LG Ally. Maybe we could muster up a few matters of taste to gripe about, but it really does seem to be a pretty solid QWERTY Android slider. But unfortunately for LG, Verizon, and the good people at Stark Industries, we're having a lot of trouble stomaching this handset for the mere fact that we're up to our eyeballs in Android these days; nobody here has bothered to do anything different. When your only claims to fame are a few pixel tweaks on the home screen, categories in the app drawer, and an augmented reality Iron Man app, you're running the risk of... well, that's just it, you aren't running any risk at all. Sure, including a "limited edition" Iron Man comic with every phone sold is a nice touch, but it won't help you much in two years (or two months) when everybody you know has a better phone than you. At least LG managed to best the Droid's landscape QWERTY, with some well-defined keys and decent, clicky action, though the unfortunate layout and an oddly inconsistent key shape keeps that from saving this phone. Specs-wise it's just what we had been hearing: Android 2.1, a 3.2 megapixel camera (with a flash), a nicely side-accessible microSD slot for the included 4GB SD card, and that mid-range Qualcomm MSM7627 processor. Hopefully Verizon can announce a bargain basement price (we're figuring $99 or less is a shoe-in), otherwise we want that GW990 back pronto. No word on release date, either, but we should be learning more tomorrow. %Gallery-92818%
LG Ally gets its own website, details finally start to flow
LG's Ally recently got its stamp of approval from LG, but outside of a terse acknowledgment that the phone was real (and had a thing for iron-clad superheroes), little else was divulged. Today, we've stumbled upon the phone's dedicated product page over at the company's website, which not only plugs Iron Man 2 to the nth degree, but also informs us that it'll ship with a 3.2-inch touchscreen, Android 2.1, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a backside camera and a microSD card slot. There's also a link over there to jump into the LG Ally community, so feel free to do just that if this trickling of information is driving you up the wall.
LG confirms Android-powered Ally, coming May 20th
Well, this hasn't exactly followed the usual smartphone launch route, but LG has now officially confirmed the existence of its new Android-powered LG Ally handset, although it's still not doing much talking about the phone itself. It has, however, revealed that the phone will be available on May 20th (presumably on Verizon, though LG oddly doesn't mention a carrier in its press release), and that it will naturally feature plenty of Iron Man 2 tie-in content, including an augmented reality application of some sort. Otherwise, LG is only saying that the phone will have a touchscreen and a full QWERTY keypad, and it's pointing folks towards an Iron Man 2 tie-in site (linked below) that, last we checked, still says to check back on April 30th. We should be getting some more details on the phone soon enough, however, as LG is holding an event in New York on May 11th where it will be showing off the Ally and other "Stark-worthy" technology.
LG Ally to say 'aloha' to Verizon in mid-May?
Well, LG's Moorestown-based, Moblin-running GW990 may sadly be no more, but it looks like the company will be bringing another fairly impressive-looking handset to US shores: the Android-based LG Ally. According to Android Central, it will be landing on Verizon around the middle of May and, if it looks a tad familiar, it's because it's apparently simply a US version of the phone we've known alternately as the LU2300 or Aloha (though it does seem to have undergone a few design tweaks). Details are otherwise light, but it'll presumably pack the same 1GHz Snapdragon processor as the LU2300, along with a 3.5-inch AMOLED touchscreen, a sliding QWERTY keyboard, a 5-megapixel camera, and Android 2.1. [Thanks, Erik] Update: Android Central has tracked down an Iron Man 2-themed commercial on YouTube clearly suggesting the Ally is coming soon (if you recall, LG had a big tie-in with the original Iron Man, too). Viewers are encouraged to head over to lg.com/ally to check it out, but there's nothing useful there -- yet. Follow the break for the full commercial.
