LG

My contract is about to expire and I'm going to get a new phone and planning and getting an android smart phone. As I looked at my options for verizon, I fell in love with the Ally since I still wanted a keyboard and the Ally's is pretty sweet.

However, it is a big investment ($40 instead of $10 a month along with an up front cost of the phone, and accessories). So, I've been wanting to do research before I make a purchase, thus is why I joined this forums and posting this thread, now to get along with it.


I post here to ask a couple questions.

1) People have been posting here about V8 and V9 firmware updates. Since I will be getting this phone in around a month from now, will the phone come with this update? Or do I have to download the update once I get it? Also, which is the one that is approved my verizon/LG/wtv? I've looked around on the forums and I remember someone saying that one wasn't tested by the company while one was. Explanation please?

2) My girlfriend has the HTC Eris w/o the update (i think it's Android 1.6?) (she's been busy to update) and I've been pretty satisfied with the software. Now since the Ally comes with 2.1, I'm assuming it'll be much better than what I'm used to using on my girlfriend's phone? One thing that has been bothering me is when I go to sjsharks.com and go to the full site, the main part of the page with the articles doesn't load on my GF's phone. Does it load on the ally?

3) Hows people's phones been running in general? I've read somewhere that running task killers can be harmful for your phone and makes it slower/less battery life/ etc. How should I approach this? I also heard that people autokill some LG apps that are preloaded when you start up the phone and it makes the phone run faster. Any additional SPECIFIC info about this?

Any other input when I get the Ally would also be helpful since it'll be my first smart phone and I would like to start out with it running smoothly, thanks.

Posted by KoDiamonds on 22 Jul 2010 00:40 AM:

My contract is about to expire and I'm going to get a new phone and planning and getting an android smart phone. As I looked at my options for verizon, I fell in love with the Ally since I still wanted a keyboard and the Ally's is pretty sweet.

However, it is a big investment ($40 instead of $10 a month along with an up front cost of the phone, and accessories). So, I've been wanting to do research before I make a purchase, thus is why I joined this forums and posting this thread, now to get along with it.

I post here to ask a couple questions.

1) People have been posting here about V8 and V9 firmware updates. Since I will be getting this phone in around a month from now, will the phone come with this update? Or do I have to download the update once I get it? Also, which is the one that is approved my verizon/LG/wtv? I've looked around on the forums and I remember someone saying that one wasn't tested by the company while one was. Explanation please?

2) My girlfriend has the HTC Eris w/o the update (i think it's Android 1.6?) (she's been busy to update) and I've been pretty satisfied with the software. Now since the Ally comes with 2.1, I'm assuming it'll be much better than what I'm used to using on my girlfriend's phone? One thing that has been bothering me is when I go to sjsharks.com and go to the full site, the main part of the page with the articles doesn't load on my GF's phone. Does it load on the ally?

3) Hows people's phones been running in general? I've read somewhere that running task killers can be harmful for your phone and makes it slower/less battery life/ etc. How should I approach this? I also heard that people autokill some LG apps that are preloaded when you start up the phone and it makes the phone run faster. Any additional SPECIFIC info about this?

Any other input when I get the Ally would also be helpful since it'll be my first smart phone and I would like to start out with it running smoothly, thanks.

1) There was an unintentional release of a ver dubbed "Ver 9" which got out to a few people. Not to worry, it was pulled pretty quickly after it got out and you now where to go and how to get it. It wasn't "Pushed" out to phones like other Android Updates are, so you can't get it. Ver 8 is the latest official release and yes it's been through Verizon's Labs. By the time you get your Ally, all of the phones with V6 on them should have been sold and you'll get a Ver 8 phone... No worries if you get a Ver 6 phone, the Verizon System will detect your older version and prompt you to update and when you press Yes, then it will automatically download and install the new version

2) Android 2.1 is a step up from 1.6... You'll love the "Live Wallpaper" ... Right now I am on the sjsharks web site on my Ally and I can't find any pages that won't load properly... So most web sites should be okay.

3) Check out the other Ally threads for opinions on using Task Killers. So far I haven't had any problems with them, but I'm using them less and less now. I only use them when things seem to get clogged up. I'll let the Forum jump in and tell you how they feel about the Ally... But for what it's worth, I like the Ally! It's compact and runs smoothly for me. It is indeed very handy and fun to carry, and has a lot of Apps available for it.

Good Luck in your decision! Let us know what you decide.

Posted by KoDiamonds on 22 Jul 2010 00:40 AM:

My contract is about to expire and I'm going to get a new phone and planning and getting an android smart phone. As I looked at my options for verizon, I fell in love with the Ally since I still wanted a keyboard and the Ally's is pretty sweet.

However, it is a big investment ($40 instead of $10 a month along with an up front cost of the phone, and accessories). So, I've been wanting to do research before I make a purchase, thus is why I joined this forums and posting this thread, now to get along with it.

I post here to ask a couple questions.

1) People have been posting here about V8 and V9 firmware updates. Since I will be getting this phone in around a month from now, will the phone come with this update? Or do I have to download the update once I get it? Also, which is the one that is approved my verizon/LG/wtv? I've looked around on the forums and I remember someone saying that one wasn't tested by the company while one was. Explanation please?

2) My girlfriend has the HTC Eris w/o the update (i think it's Android 1.6?) (she's been busy to update) and I've been pretty satisfied with the software. Now since the Ally comes with 2.1, I'm assuming it'll be much better than what I'm used to using on my girlfriend's phone? One thing that has been bothering me is when I go to sjsharks.com and go to the full site, the main part of the page with the articles doesn't load on my GF's phone. Does it load on the ally?

3) Hows people's phones been running in general? I've read somewhere that running task killers can be harmful for your phone and makes it slower/less battery life/ etc. How should I approach this? I also heard that people autokill some LG apps that are preloaded when you start up the phone and it makes the phone run faster. Any additional SPECIFIC info about this?

Any other input when I get the Ally would also be helpful since it'll be my first smart phone and I would like to start out with it running smoothly, thanks.

1. Not sure if the phone will have it or not. Does Verizon pull all the phones in stock for updates? Don't know for sure. If it doesn't, simply let it update when prompted. V8 is the update that was sent OTA (over the air) by Verizon and is the "approved" update as far as Verizon is concerned.

2. The 2.1 update did provide for some bug fixes and enhancements. You can search around for this as info is all over the Internet. A friend has an Eris and they noticed improved battery life after the update and a generally smoother experience using the phone. The Web site you asked about does show Headlines and then the full articles when I visited it on my Ally.

3. There is a lot of info on the Internet about this question as well. I've read Google devs stating not to use task killers, this may very well be a YMMV situation. I used one at first to auto kill unused apps, and now do NOT use it to auto kill - just to see what apps are running. The Android OS seems to eventually close down the majority of apps it runs from boot up. I found my phone to perform better without auto killing apps. You need to understand what you are killing and how one app might relate to another for the phones proper function. My advice it to try running with out the task killer and see how it goes instead of just installing one from the get-go.

The Ally has been a great phone for me. I've posted here about a couple potential issues on my Ally after the Ver 8 update, but I think I'm ironing them out slowly. I don't have a ton of apps on my phone either. I believe that some users might be bogging the phone down with a ton of apps using up a great deal of the phones memory, and perhaps apps that constantly are requiring network access for updates, etc. This phone is not a power user phone, but I feel a nice transition phone from feature phones to smart phones.

Warren

I am a new Ally user (about 2 weeks only now). I have to say, I am always hesitant, I second guess and try to do a lot of research before purchasing a new mobile phone. Every phone I have read about there are always positives and negatives.
I have to say I have been very happy to far with my Ally. I am coming from a Blackberry Curve from ATT and everything about the Ally says I made the right choice to switch. For an android phone that really if you compare to the Motorola Droid, does quite a bit for $50. It froze on me 2x when trying to power it off, but other than that, it hasn't done it since, and everything is working great. I find I am able to open apps or my browser quickly. I just got the v8 update yesterday and things seem fine.
Don't get me wrong, I'm no "techie" when it comes to smart phones. For what I need it to do : text, email, make calls, use a few apps or surf web minimally, I find it fits the bill just fine.
I looked at the Motorola droid and I just didn't like the layout of the keyboard. I had no desire to get the Droid X as it just seems way too big a phone to carry around in my pocket or purse. And I didn't feel like waiting on what have only been rumors of a Droid 2. So I went with the Ally and haven't looked back since.
Good luck with your choice whatever you decide.

Great Post, Thanks!

Let us know if you have any questions.

Thanks for the replies! Opinions about the device is really helpful.

There is also one thing that is on my mind about this phone and it's memory.

I was at the verizon store and I saw that there was only 150mb internal memory left on the device. How much total memory do you start with when you first get the device (After all the software and all the apps that come with it)? I'm asking because knowing me, I feel like I'm going to download A LOT of apps and I'm wondering if that'll slow down the device at all because the person at verizon says it downloads the apps on the internal memory.

Also, how are people's messaging? My girlfriend has the Droid Eris and it takes her like 2-3 seconds to load the text and lags depending on how much texts she has with the person. Then to clear the texts, she has to delete it overnight because it takes so long. Is it like that for the Ally?

Thanks.

Posted by KoDiamonds on 30 Jul 2010 09:25 AM:

Thanks for the replies! Opinions about the device is really helpful.

There is also one thing that is on my mind about this phone and it's memory.

I was at the verizon store and I saw that there was only 150mb internal memory left on the device. How much total memory do you start with when you first get the device (After all the software and all the apps that come with it)? I'm asking because knowing me, I feel like I'm going to download A LOT of apps and I'm wondering if that'll slow down the device at all because the person at verizon says it downloads the apps on the internal memory.

Also, how are people's messaging? My girlfriend has the Droid Eris and it takes her like 2-3 seconds to load the text and lags depending on how much texts she has with the person. Then to clear the texts, she has to delete it overnight because it takes so long. Is it like that for the Ally?

Thanks.

Actually when all is said and done, you'll have a little less than that to install Apps into. The apps are relatively small so on any given day I have 15 to 20 apps loaded. I use a family of utilities called "aTrackDog" and "aTrackDog[SD]" that allows me to track and uninstall Apps I have on my system. The nice thing is that it will uninstall them to your MicroSD so you can reinstall them anytime... Just watch how you manage memory and Battery and you'll be fine.

Txt messaging?? I haven't seen any issues with Lag or performance in general, but I'm not a heavy texter... Anyone want to jump in?

I have had no texting issues whatsoever.

Thanks everyone for the replies. This forum is really helping me and I'm 100% going to purchase the Ally (hopefully today!).

Now I've been researching and looking around and seeing what I should do with the phone right off the bat. Here's a couple that I've seen, please correct me if I'm wrong.

1) Install the Dolphin Browser. Much faster and with tabs, correct?

2) UNINSTALL Advanced Task Killer. Is this the right way to go?

3) Install Launcher Pro Theme, much faster. Right?

Is there anything else I should do with the phone right off the bat to improve speed and battery life and overall performance?

Also, what is the 50% bug and how do I know if I have it/fix it if I do get it when I purchase my ally?

Posted by KoDiamonds on 04 Aug 2010 10:12 AM:

Thanks everyone for the replies. This forum is really helping me and I'm 100% going to purchase the Ally (hopefully today!).

Now I've been researching and looking around and seeing what I should do with the phone right off the bat. Here's a couple that I've seen, please correct me if I'm wrong.

1) Install the Dolphin Browser. Much faster and with tabs, correct?

2) UNINSTALL Advanced Task Killer. Is this the right way to go?

3) Install Launcher Pro Theme, much faster. Right?

Is there anything else I should do with the phone right off the bat to improve speed and battery life and overall performance?

Also, what is the 50% bug and how do I know if I have it/fix it if I do get it when I purchase my ally?

Awesome! For Battery Life? Just watch background services like WiFi and GPS,if you're not careful can drain you battery as well.

Can someone explain a little more about Launcher Pro? I installed in a few days ago and don't get it. Also, everytime I hit the "home" key on my Ally, a screen pops up asking me if I want there are icons on the side and icons at the bottom. I'm confused...can someone help?

Sorry. My last post made NO sense. I was wondering if someone would explain Launcher Pro a bit more. Why are there shortcut icons on my home screen when there are already icons there? What is the deal please with this app? Is it worth having?

Ok. Have been playing more with Launcher Pro and have figured out how to rearrange things a little but still would love some input.

I'm curious what are some more great apps to have onthis phone?

Posted by Tnnisace on 04 Aug 2010 14:22 PM:

Ok. Have been playing more with Launcher Pro and have figured out how to rearrange things a little but still would love some input.

LauncherPro is based on the Sense UI on the HTC phones. If you press the menu button you can bring up the preferences screen from there you can change the number of home pages (up to 7). Also you can select the number of docks (up to 3). It will allow you to view all your home screens in helicopter mode for faster screen selection by pressing the home button. Android will allow pretty much full customization of your home screens. LauncherPro is just a better written version of the Home Launcher. Lg's versions are just poorly written skins that use far too much RAM to run.

Posted by KoDiamonds on 04 Aug 2010 10:12 AM:

Thanks everyone for the replies. This forum is really helping me and I'm 100% going to purchase the Ally (hopefully today!).

Now I've been researching and looking around and seeing what I should do with the phone right off the bat. Here's a couple that I've seen, please correct me if I'm wrong.

1) Install the Dolphin Browser. Much faster and with tabs, correct?

2) UNINSTALL Advanced Task Killer. Is this the right way to go?

3) Install Launcher Pro Theme, much faster. Right?

Is there anything else I should do with the phone right off the bat to improve speed and battery life and overall performance?

Also, what is the 50% bug and how do I know if I have it/fix it if I do get it when I purchase my ally?

1) Yes

2) ATK is not preinstalled on the phone. Just don't download any task killers and you'll be fine.

3) Yes, and will allow the phone to run better as well.

Another must have right off the bat is ASTRO file manager (which does have a Task Killer in the "tools"part of app, just incase you find a poorly written app somewhere). Tunee Music (not in the market any more but you can get it from the Developers site) and Ringdroid will allow you to make your own ringtones for FREE.

Can you share the web address for Tunee perhaps please? Also, is it safe and is there a reason it's no longer in the Android Market b/c my phone blocks it from being installed if it isn't from the Market.

Thanks for more app suggestions. I was going to ask,

a)whats a good widget that shows how much battery life and memory is left?
b) Whats a good weather widget? (assuming the stock is sub-par)
c) gndmepyon suggested Tunee, but is there other music players that are better than the stock. I was trying out the stock music player at the Vstore and with NO songs, it lagged to go between arists, songs, albums, etc. I wonder how slow it'll be with 8 gbs of music I'm planning to put on it. Thus, is there a music player with little to no lag? Or minimal lag atleast.
d) Any other app/widget suggestions?

@Tnnisace: It's here http://www.tunee.net/ completely safe. Also it's not a media player but rather a free mp3 downloader.

@KoDiamonds: a) the one I use is called simply battery widget. I find that there is really no need to monitor memory since the Android system will Close programs it's holding RAM if it needs more. Remember it's not Windows. Linux has a much better memory management system.
b) I am using Fancy Widgets. You'll have to search for it. HTC had it pulled from teh market for looking too much like the Sense Weather and clock widget. However, when I had my Ally I found the stock weather widget (accuweather for those interested) to be perfectly fine.
c) Tunee is not a media player. It is an mp3 downloader.
d) Really depends on what all you want the phone to do.

I appreciate your help gndmepyon. Thank you...