Droid vs. Ally

[discohadestwo]

I went into my local Verizon store & was messing around with the phones. I had my mind set on the Droid going in, but I messed around with three of the phones there. The Incredible, the Droid, and the Ally. Surprisingly, I came out most impressed by the Ally.

I'd prefer to have a physical keyboard, so that & the price, is why I didn't look too much into the Incredible. But comparing the Droid & the Ally, the closeup photos with the Ally seemed a lot better than the close ups with the Droid. I realize, now, that I didn't take too many shots from afar, but from what I saw, I liked the Ally's camera better, despite the megapixels listed for the two devices. Also, sliding the different menus side to side seemed faster on the Ally as well.

Is it possible that the Ally was running the latest firmware, whereas the Droid hadn't been updated yet? I suppose that could explain both of those issues.

I'm really looking at picking up the Ally now. There's one big question, though. Is there anything the Droid can do that the Ally can't?

Also, is there anything else I should compare between the two the next time I go in? Or maybe something I didn't pay attention to with these issues.

PS. Sorry if this was posted before. I'm sure it has been, but everything I read says the only thing better about the Ally is the keyboard.

 

[GenericMessage]

I went into my local Verizon store & was messing around with the phones. I had my mind set on the Droid going in, but I messed around with three of the phones there. The Incredible, the Droid, and the Ally. Surprisingly, I came out most impressed by the Ally.

I'd prefer to have a physical keyboard, so that & the price, is why I didn't look too much into the Incredible. But comparing the Droid & the Ally, the closeup photos with the Ally seemed a lot better than the close ups with the Droid. I realize, now, that I didn't take too many shots from afar, but from what I saw, I liked the Ally's camera better, despite the megapixels listed for the two devices. Also, sliding the different menus side to side seemed faster on the Ally as well.

Is it possible that the Ally was running the latest firmware, whereas the Droid hadn't been updated yet? I suppose that could explain both of those issues.

I'm really looking at picking up the Ally now. There's one big question, though. Is there anything the Droid can do that the Ally can't?

Also, is there anything else I should compare between the two the next time I go in? Or maybe something I didn't pay attention to with these issues.

PS. Sorry if this was posted before. I'm sure it has been, but everything I read says the only thing better about the Ally is the keyboard.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND thats it. And even thats up for debate

 

[PJnc284]

The droid is already rooted and has a large development community which puts it way ahead but to the average user, that really doesn't matter. It really depends on what you plan on doing with the device. If you're the average user that is scared to change anything, the Ally will give you a spacious and more finger friendly keyboard and $50 more in your pocket and won't really put you at a disadvantage. If you like to tinker, the Droid is the way to go. The thing can pretty much be modded to you hearts content. Larger screen and higher resolution make web browsing a breeze. I actually use my Droid more than my laptop when just goofing around and surfing the net.

Decent comparison with video. Phones probably appear slower than normal with the live wallpapers.
http://www.wirefly.com/learn/resources/cell-phone-comparison/lg-ally-vs-motorola-droid/

 

[discohadestwo]

The droid is already rooted and has a large development community which puts it way ahead but to the average user, that really doesn't matter. It really depends on what you plan on doing with the device. If you're the average user that is scared to change anything, the Ally will give you a spacious and more finger friendly keyboard and $50 more in your pocket and won't really put you at a disadvantage. If you like to tinker, the Droid is the way to go. The thing can pretty much be modded to you hearts content. Larger screen and higher resolution make web browsing a breeze. I actually use my Droid more than my laptop when just goofing around and surfing the net.

Decent comparison with video. Phones probably appear slower than normal with the live wallpapers.

I definitely want to root the phone. I'm big into customization. I wasn't sure if the Ally was rooted, but if now, it looks like I may want to go with the Droid. Do you think the Ally will ever be rooted?

Also, now that you mention it, the Droid was using a live wallpaper & the Ally was not.

 

[YourMobileGuru]

The Ally is a great little phone but it's not for power users, the lack of app memory alone makes it a mid level device at best.

HOWEVER, for those who want a messaging phone that also runs Android (and thus has the ability choose alternate messaging apps, and load a few other apps) it's great.

 

[sethjk]

I definitely want to root the phone. I'm big into customization. I wasn't sure if the Ally was rooted, but if now, it looks like I may want to go with the Droid. Do you think the Ally will ever be rooted?

Also, now that you mention it, the Droid was using a live wallpaper & the Ally was not.

I'm honestly a little surprised people are still consideirng the droid. I say wait a few weeks for the Droid2 if you really want the physical keyboard. I can say that the ONLY thing I used it for is terminal emulator...that's it!
I'd personally go with the INcredible or wait for the DroidX which looks really nice. I would NEVER consider the Ally. It's basically a messaging phone from appearances. Get swype and you'll be typing faster than you could on the physical keyboard anyway.
If you're interested in roooting, you should want the most powerful phone you can get at the time...Just my .02

 

[PJnc284]

The Droid still has a huge advantage over those unreleased phones, it's already rooted and has a huge user base and developer following. Motorola is rumored to be tightening the reigns on their phones so who knows if and how long it will take to get those devices rooted and what you'll be able to do with them.

 

[sethjk]

The incredible is already rooted. Plus, IMHO, the primary reason I keep my droid rooted is for overclocking- those phones don't need it. Yes, it's nice to customize everything but it's certainly less necessary right at the start and I wouldn't want to buy a phone that's already outdated just so I can customize it when I'll eventually be able to do the same thing on a phone with significant superior specs.

 

[Simdawg17]

I prefer the Ally because it's smaller, easier to use, and I can type on the keyboard.

 

[Zorro1]

Just bot 2 Ally's for wife and daughter. Wow. I'm ready to give either of them my Droid. And yes, mine's stuffed with everything most computers have. That said, the keyboard of the Ally stole my heart! And the form and shape are fantastic. It seems slightly quicker than my Droid, has five home screens built in! It's still 2.1 but has something called Update 1. There are some other software differences, like trying to get a shortcut to running settings can't seem to be done. The camera is way better, shock, right? It is a wee bit smaller, but I didn't notice until I held them up side by side. Oh, and it's a slippery little thing, literally. You have to have some sort of case or you WILL drop it. Overall, I really really like it. I guess I'll just believe you guys who say, I still have the best phone until the 2 comes out. (I want the keyboard.)

 

[CharlieL3]

It's still 2.1 but has something called Update 1.

Look at your Droid. The stock 2.1 on all of them is Update 1.

 

[Zorro1]

Oh! Guess I hadn't looked in a while!

 

[Brett]

in all honesty at this point you have a tough choice and there are many things to consider. Price, functionality preference, visual apeal, things like that.

personally i have never been a fan of LG phones. My ex girlfriend had the voyager and that broke like ever few months and she needed a replacement. i would estimate 1 time every 4 months. I then had an LG Dare, there marketing made me think it was the best phone. until a few months after i had i realized that it wasn't anything special except it had a touch screen.

also another thing you need to consider is your lifetime for the phone. You will most likely be signing up for a 2 year contract so do you think this will last until then? the specs are ok but they are not as high as the current top contenders which means this will be starting off as an average phone. The droid does have an advantage due to it selling so well and has a bunch of developers who are still working on it even though other phones are being released with better specs. The droid 2 will be out soon which might be a better option but you will have to wait for it to be realeased.

not trying to sway your decision in anyway. i just want you to think about the things you want in a phone and then try to figure out which phone meets your standards. everybody can tell you which phone to get and odds are they will tell you that is the phone they own or plan to own soon, this will be a biased opinion. do i think the droid is an amazing phone? i love this phone so yes. is it for everybody, no.

if you go to the verizon store and plan to get a phone, look around again and play with the ones you are interested in. if you still don't know then walk out and come back another day. it is not the end of the word if you sign up for a 2 year contract with a phone you aren't really happy with but i can see it being a pain when you know you are stuck with it until you can upgrade.

make the choice that is best for you

 

[milesmcever]

I have to say I am happy with my Droid, I want the droid X(i dont use the physical keyboard) but with my phone running 2.2 it is faster than any other phone I have touched and then I flashed the 1.2 ghz overclock and it flys, but my Brother-in-law just bought an Ally and he is happy with it but he is never going to be one to root and load different roms on his phone. The only thing I have seen him unhappy about is we were playing the game Blow Up (lite) and his would lag that was really it. The part i did not like was the keys at the bottom of the screen being hard buttons and not touch that alone would scare me off.

 

[Dapke36]

The ally has LG's own proprietary skin on it. I have no idea what it is called, but I hear it is a little more restrictive, and a little buggy. Yes, there are people who feel differently, and they have every right to - phones are more attractive to some people more than others, and they all fit differently. For me, I like the power of the droid, the root capabilities (tether, overclock, different themes and ROMs), but some might not care as much.

I do know (because I am running it) that 2.2 on the Droid will improve the speed and the user experience. The Ally and the Incredible will not get 2.2 as fast as the Droid, as they have a specific manufacturer UI, which always takes longer to update than vanilla android.

So ally is not bad, but I don't know why one would buy a phone that is already obselete, when one could get the Incredible for speed, or wait on the X, etc. Or get a great deal for the Droid on wirefly.com or other places.

 

[Zorro1]

Playing more with the Ally(s) today, same impression re: speed. My Droid is not rooted or anything other than stock, and I cannot tell the diff. Contrary to post above, we've never had trouble with ANY LG phones ever, other than the battery on my son's Voyager giving it up. Otherwise, quality is some of the best I've seen. And again, that keyboard....they got it right. My only beef is that the Ally's touchscreen is...different. Takes a different kind of touch than the Droid. Probably you'd get used to it. Oh, and did find the Running Settings shortcut after more digging. All in all, a great phone for someone who just ones a great and solid Android phone. Not a thing wrong with it at all.

 

[Simdawg17]

Well, I finally bought my Ally today and I love it. Sure, it's not as capable as the Droid but it has plenty of features for my first smart phone and every keyboard on it is amazing. I originally ordered the Bold 9650 through Letstalk.com but they contacted me and said they couldn't switch the numbers around (mom got my upgrade a few months ago). I decided to purchase local and got a sweet deal on the Ally, $10 after rebate with my first month data free. This is my 3rd straight LG phone and they have been great to me so hope my luck continues. Letstalk.com still sucks, lol.