google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

[omniusovermind]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

I hate to burst everyone's bubble here but if you think for a minute that MS hasn't worked with the NSA in the past, if not present as well (which is probable) you ought not to be so naiv?. Good old Billy G has also been rubbing elbows very closely with the who's who of Washington for many, many years now. If you don't want your internet activity to be spied on using your phone and computer, then I'd suggest you buy a dumbphone because none of the current popular smartphone makers put your privacy at any less exposure to government and big firms than the other. None. Even BB caved into demands by governments who got upset with not being able to spy on BBM. I believe they caved in to the Indian Govt. in just under 3 weeks for the most recent example. Sorry to hear Google has you so upset but I hate to break it to you, you're still no better off if you did it for privacy reasons. I hear Motorola still makes good flip-phones though.

good luck!

 

[brmiller1976]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

There's the government spying question, which is bad, but there's the private spying question (which is worse).

Government stuff is classified. Whereas Google profiles are available to whoever wants to buy them.

 

[brmiller1976]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

I could imagine Google's data scraping being factored into background checks in the future for jobs or apartments.

"Well, I was going to hire him, but it looks like he's a prolific poster on a conservative message board. And he likes to look at Japanese porn. Oh, and what's this? He's been buying ladies' undergarments with Google Wallet? I think we'll hire the other guy instead."

 

[omniusovermind]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

There's the government spying question, which is bad, but there's the private spying question (which is worse).

Government stuff is classified. Whereas Google profiles are available to whoever wants to buy them.

That's a valid point, but even though I don't do anything illegal, having a government who has actual power over me able to monitor my habits is more worrisome to me simply because mistakes can happen. If an advertising firm makes a mistake with my comings and goings the worst that'll happen is they try to sell me pistachios instead of walnuts for a week.

I could imagine Google's data scraping being factored into background checks in the future for jobs or apartments.

"Well, I was going to hire him, but it looks like he's a prolific poster on a conservative message board. And he likes to look at Japanese porn. Oh, and what's this? He's been buying ladies' undergarments with Google Wallet? I think we'll hire the other guy instead."

And if it's the government instead of a potential employer? How's this tickle your fancy: "Well we were going to approve his entry into the country for a family vacation but he shops a lot of hunting and fishing sites and owns a lot of rifles. Better dismantle his entire car and camper into itsy bitsy pieces that we're under no obligation to repair."

 

[brmiller1976]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

I agree that government surveillance is asinine. And they're pushing to declare e-mail and cloud services "public assets" that can be accessed at any time without a warrant. But people around the world are, sadly, stupid. They say "I have nothing to fear because I have nothing to hide." It's only after their rights are undermined by parties, public and private, that they express rage... and then, it's far too late.

As for the advertising firm, they're not just selling ads. They're selling your profile. They likely know everything about you.

There was a great story about how good Target's data mining is. They sent a 17-year-old girl some "new mom" promotions, much to the outrage of her parents, who wrote Target a furious letter to say "she's only 17!" Turns out, she was pregnant without their knowledge, and her purchase history at Target indicated a pattern of a mom-to-be.

Imagine that, but based not only on purchase history at a store, but with everything you do online, everything you do on your phone, the contents of all of your e-mail, the contents of all of your phone calls, the contents of all of your IMs, the contents of all of your voicemails, and every place you go with your GPS-equipped phone... all for sale to anybody who wants to buy it. That's Google.

Heck, they may know more about you than you know about yourself.

 

[dba415]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

Let me preface this by saying that I am probably the only unbiased person on here, which makes means my post should be taken more seriously than the bunch of biased, anti-google/pro-microsoft fanboys on here. I've owned the G1, then moved on to iOS, and am using a Windows Phone right now. I have a MacBook Pro and I dearly love OS X, but I use GMail, Calendar, Contacts etc. and Google search is my #1.

I like Windows Phone as an OS but the apps are completely bringing it down, to the point where it's not as good as Android or iOS in terms of overall experience. I'm not mad at Google for not supporting WPhone when I am an avid user of Google's services. Bottom line is that there is no popularity, no user-base. You are clowning yourself if you think that Windows Phone matters much in the grand scheme of things RIGHT NOW. It may get there, but it probably won't beat out iOS or Android in the next 5 years.

That's the bottom line, Google is in the business of making $$$, and right now there is no economic sense to support Windows Phone. That's the end of it.

 

[Laura Knotek]

How many people already use loyalty / rewards cards from stores? I have a card from Giant Eagle. It tracks my purchases but offers discounts on gas at their GetGo gas stations.

I'm sure almost everyone has some types of cards like that.

Even without Google, or any other Internet service, people get tracked all the time.

 

[omniusovermind]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

I pretty much agree, it's a terrible state of affairs. But really, even if you manage to completely get out of Google products, do we have any guarantee that MS isn't also making a good buck on the side from advertising companies buying our info from data mined from their services? And I mean guarantee, not their written privacy policy.

 

[omniusovermind]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

Let me preface this by saying that I am probably the only unbiased person on here, which makes means my post should be taken more seriously than the bunch of biased, anti-google/pro-microsoft fanboys on here. I've owned the G1, then moved on to iOS, and am using a Windows Phone right now. I have a MacBook Pro and I dearly love OS X, but I use GMail, Calendar, Contacts etc. and Google search is my #1.

I like Windows Phone as an OS but the apps are completely bringing it down, to the point where it's not as good as Android or iOS in terms of overall experience. I'm not mad at Google for not supporting WPhone when I am an avid user of Google's services. Bottom line is that there is no popularity, no user-base. You are clowning yourself if you think that Windows Phone matters much in the grand scheme of things RIGHT NOW. It may get there, but it probably won't beat out iOS or Android in the next 5 years.

That's the bottom line, Google is in the business of making $$$, and right now there is no economic sense to support Windows Phone. That's the end of it.

I'm not sure about the content of your post but I was deeply impressed by your modesty!

 

[stephen_az]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

Let me preface this by saying that I am probably the only unbiased person on here, which makes means my post should be taken more seriously than the bunch of biased, anti-google/pro-microsoft fanboys on here. I've owned the G1, then moved on to iOS, and am using a Windows Phone right now. I have a MacBook Pro and I dearly love OS X, but I use GMail, Calendar, Contacts etc. and Google search is my #1.

I like Windows Phone as an OS but the apps are completely bringing it down, to the point where it's not as good as Android or iOS in terms of overall experience. I'm not mad at Google for not supporting WPhone when I am an avid user of Google's services. Bottom line is that there is no popularity, no user-base. You are clowning yourself if you think that Windows Phone matters much in the grand scheme of things RIGHT NOW. It may get there, but it probably won't beat out iOS or Android in the next 5 years.

That's the bottom line, Google is in the business of making $$$, and right now there is no economic sense to support Windows Phone. That's the end of it.

I am sorry but when one starts by saying "I am the only unbiased person...." you have lost any credibility right out of the gate. You could be saying all of the most logical and rational things possible, but anyone who thinks they are unbiased or (worse) states they are the only unbiased person, has already consigned themselves to being discounted or being lumped with one or another fringe. We are all biased in one direction or another - part of the cognitive process associated with making any decision requires you to establish a bias towards one option over another.

 

[stephen_az]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

Stop being ridiculous. Microsoft is the one who acted like a 5 year old moron with their idiotic Droidrage and Scroogle campaigns. It's now come and bit them in the ass. Trust me only a handful of people are going to shift over to Outlook and only people in their 60s or 70s still use that atrocious service called Hotmail.
A lot of people will simply not switch to Windows Phone if this issue becomes more highlighted. And I can't believe Windows Phone doesn't support Cal and CardDEV. Heck even Meego had that.

If you really think that this has anything to do with a minor marketing campaign, I have a bridge in New York you might want to buy. Ironic that you would start this sort of commentary with "stop being ridiculous." This is not about silly marketing and not even about EAS licensing fees. This is about Google attempting to consolidate its market position and exert control over those competing in the market. It has always been lurking as the inevitable outcome of people embracing a company with blatantly monopolistic, anti-competitive, and above the law business practices (giving away software in exchange for user data and market share; collecting data about non-customers through Google customers interactions with them; flagrant violations of US and European copyright laws; flagrant violations of privacy laws; circumventing the security protocols of other companies; selling products at an outright loss [again] to capture market share; etc., etc.). My hope is that with the Microsoft case from a decade ago having set precedent, it will not take the justice department nearly as long to deal with Google, whose practices behind the lava lamps and smiley faces, makes Microsoft of the 1990s look like a bunch of choir boys.

 

[jwinch2]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

Wish there were a competitive alternative to Google Reader. As in, multiple apps allowing sign-in and a place to keep track of all your RSS feeds. Instead of manually entring them all in every time you switch apps.

This is my issue as well. I subscribe to several blogs and podcasts through google reader which I than can view through nextgen rss reader on my WP. To date, I have not found a way through outlook.com to do the same thing that google reader will do.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

This is my issue as well. I subscribe to several blogs and podcasts through google reader which I than can view through nextgen rss reader on my WP. To date, I have not found a way through outlook.com to do the same thing that google reader will do.

Same here. I also use Nextgen Reader on my WP and in desktop Windows 8.

 

[Narr]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

This is my issue as well. I subscribe to several blogs and podcasts through google reader which I than can view through nextgen rss reader on my WP. To date, I have not found a way through outlook.com to do the same thing that google reader will do.

I have the same problem, there is no decent alternative to Google Reader so I use it for the RSS feeds.

 

[brmiller1976]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

How many people already use loyalty / rewards cards from stores? I have a card from Giant Eagle. It tracks my purchases but offers discounts on gas at their GetGo gas stations.

I'm sure almost everyone has some types of cards like that.

Even without Google, or any other Internet service, people get tracked all the time.

Again, that's a very limited version. Your store card knows how much you bought at the store, and that's it.

Google tracks everything you do, all the time.

Google knows your sexual orientation. It knows who you're cheating on your spouse with, how much money you have in the bank, and how often you visit the liquor store. It knows how much you spent on that liquor, where you took it after the store visit, and how much of it you probably used before visiting the store again. It knows the contents of all of your Google Voice calls.

If you're OK with Google having all that information, and are truly not concerned with anybody being able to buy that information, okay. Just be honest about it with others.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

Again, that's a very limited version. Your store card knows how much you bought at the store, and that's it.

Google tracks everything you do, all the time.

Google knows your sexual orientation. It knows who you're cheating on your spouse with, how much money you have in the bank, and how often you visit the liquor store. It knows how much you spent on that liquor, where you took it after the store visit, and how much of it you probably used before visiting the store again. It knows the contents of all of your Google Voice calls.

If you're OK with Google having all that information, and are truly not concerned with anybody being able to buy that information, okay. Just be honest about it with others.

I wouldn't be surprised if the stores sell or share information with other companies. A store would also be able to tell a lot about a person by the type of products he/she buys. Most people have cards from multiple stores too, and many people belong to Sam's Club, Costco, etc which know everything their members purchase.

Target figured out that a 16 year-old girl was pregnant before her father knew. How Target Figured Out A Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did - Forbes

Google isn't any worse than other companies in terms of privacy.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html?pagewanted=6&_r=2&hp&&pagewanted=all

 

[anon(1019781)]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

You guys do realize that Microsoft gives you a lot of free services that you don't pay for (aka you are the product) and that Bing has similar privacy issues as Google, right?

There is no privacy when you use a smartphone or cloud services in general.

 

[a5cent]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

You guys do realize that Microsoft gives you a lot of free services that you don't pay for (aka you are the product) and that Bing has similar privacy issues as Google, right?

There is no privacy when you use a smartphone or cloud services in general.

You don't understand Microsoft's business model. What do you think you aren't paying for? You may not be paying for it directly, but the price for everything Microsoft offers it is built in somewhere. Google charges nothing for Android. Microsoft charges between $15 and $30 per WP license. You pay that license fee to Microsoft when you buy a WP device. Microsoft sells software. Always has. Google sells advertising and consumer profiles.

Although every platform has privacy issues, the difference between Microsoft and Google couldn't be more different. Microsoft will never sell the data it collects to anyone (read their license agreements), and as a result of that they also collect much less.

 

[TonyDedrick]

At this point, I don't trust any of these companies to be on the up and up on what they may or may not be doing. So really, its matter of picking your poison in who you trust your online privacy with.

 

[a5cent]

Re: **** google. I'm out of their ecosystem 100% now.

Google isn't any worse than other companies in terms of privacy.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/shopping-habits.html?pagewanted=6&_r=2&hp&&pagewanted=all

I disagree. Google isn't worse in the sense that other companies also attempt to track and profile their customers to the best of their ability, but the degree to which they can do this is completely different. In that sense, nothing compares to Google. Nothing.

That Target figured out a teen girl was pregnant before her father did doesn't surprise me in the least. That is actually quite low tech stuff compared to what is possible. I've worked on some of these systems myself. One system tracks down stolen credit cards or cell phones, simply based on behavioural patterns, such as how telephone numbers are dialled, the purchases that are made, or to whom calls are placed. Success rates were extremely high whilst spitting out zero false positives. I thought that was impressive at the time, but it's child's play compared to what Google can put together based on behavioural patterns analysis.