Following years of speculation, Google released its Android mobile operating system last year to capitalize on the growing number of Google Apps users. Two of the low-cost Android messaging phones — the LG Ally ($49) and the Motorola Devour ($79) — provide two appealing options on the Verizon network that users can utilize to take advantage of the Android system. While each comes with numerous benefits and drawbacks, the Ally boasts a stronger overall physical design while maintaining similar features to those of the Devour — all at a lower price.

Since phone companies can customize an interface specific to each phone, every Android device provides a unique experience for its user.

While the Ally and the Devour are similar in size and weight, the Devour’s metal build looks and feels sturdier than the Ally’s plastic casing. After using both devices, however, it becomes apparent that the Devour contains significant wasted space on the exterior of the phone — while it is larger than the Ally, it still has a smaller screen.

The Ally does not stand up perfectly to testing either, however — this model also has several design flaws. Although the buttons on the face and side of the phone are well-placed, the device lacks the standard lock button found on the top of most smartphones. Because of the lock button’s proximity to the screen, it is easy to accidentally lock the phone during normal use.

The Ally and the Devour are both built primarily for text messaging and for e-mailing. Both have sliding four-row Qwerty keyboards with a row dedicated to numbers. The Ally’s keyboard, however, is simpler to use than that of the Devour. Like its body, the Devour’s keyboard fails to utilize the phone’s plentiful available space and consequently feels cramped and unresponsive. The Ally’s keyboard, meanwhile, has larger, easy-to-use buttons as well as helpful “Home” and “Menu” buttons, which are not found on the Devour.

Although both devices boast user-friendly touch screens, the Ally’s screen has a higher resolution and supports more color. While the Ally shoots better pictures, neither phone matches the photo quality of the range of smartphones with high-end cameras like the HTC Evo 4G or the iPhone.

The Devour also contains a custom Motoblur user interface while the Ally relies on the standard Android system. Although the Ally’s standard system contains a wide variety of apps and widgets that allow for quick access to vital e-mail and messaging functions, Motoblur provides a more interactive system that syncs contacts from Facebook, MySpace and Twitter accounts into one standard news feed.

Unlike some Android phones that download the contact information from every single Facebook friend — leaving users with countless unwanted contacts — the Devour’s Motoblur technology allows users to select which profiles they want to sync with their contact list. The system does not, however, allow users to filter whose Facebok. MySpace and Twitter accounts update on their phone’s home screens.

Both the Devour and the Ally will likely increase in value as developers release new software. For the time being, it seems that the Ally is the better buy — not only is it 30 dollars cheaper than the Devour with similar specifications, but it also has a superior design. The Ally shines as an all-around messaging phone that will meet the needs of any college student.