Transferring my life to Google.
Transferring my life to Google.
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So

Original Poster:

28,176 posts

253 months

Saturday 16th November 2019
quotequote all

I am typing this from my new Chromebook. It's very good. It was cheap, it's simple and it is unpretentious. It seems not to do a lot of things that I neither want nor need.

Chrome keeps inviting me to back up all my files to Google. Outside of the fact that they will share naked photos of me with anyone who pays them, is there any reason why not?

Also, I moved from Windows Phone to iPhone two years ago and was initially delighted. However, an upgrade to iPhone X left me very undelighted and I am looking for a move away from Apple. Is Google Pixel going to be the move that makes me happy?

Of importance to me are the following:

Quality of hardware.
Support
Simple and intuitive.
Not paying for a lot of social and leisure orientated stuff that I won't use.

shopper150

1,583 posts

225 months

Saturday 16th November 2019
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I don’t think there is any meaningful support.

grumbledoak

32,571 posts

264 months

Saturday 16th November 2019
quotequote all
There are no good choices here. All the options are massive corporations that want you renting software on an endless hardware upgrade treadmill.

So

Original Poster:

28,176 posts

253 months

Saturday 16th November 2019
quotequote all
shopper150 said:
I don’t think there is any meaningful support.
Shame. To be fair to apple, that is one area in which they are quite good.

Crafty_

14,214 posts

231 months

Saturday 16th November 2019
quotequote all
Do your research on pixel phones before you jump in.

The latest one (Pixel 4) has been criticised for a small battery compared to its peers, amongst other things. Also stock Android isn't necessarily the best option for all users.

Edited by Crafty_ on Saturday 16th November 11:08

Mammasaid

5,637 posts

128 months

Saturday 16th November 2019
quotequote all
So said:
shopper150 said:
I don’t think there is any meaningful support.
Shame. To be fair to apple, that is one area in which they are quite good.
Incorrect, if you have Google One, it's 24/7 support



shopper150

1,583 posts

225 months

Saturday 16th November 2019
quotequote all
I’d say most of Google’s products are failures and get discontinued. What happened to Google Glasses!?
Other than search, I wouldn’t use them for anything.

alorotom

12,789 posts

218 months

Saturday 16th November 2019
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shopper150 said:
I’d say most of Google’s products are failures and get discontinued. What happened to Google Glasses!?
Other than search, I wouldn’t use them for anything.
Google Glass is still a thing but commercial only.

O/t ... I've done this same thing recently, uncoupled from Apple and moved to Google. Ditched my XSMax for a Pixel3a and it's been fine from all aspects.

The only thing I miss is my apple watch.

So

Original Poster:

28,176 posts

253 months

Saturday 16th November 2019
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
This is where I am currently.

stevoknevo

1,760 posts

221 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
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So said:
anonymous said:
[redacted]
This is where I am currently.
And me - I'm actively planning on moving away from Google as much as I possibly can despite having a love/hate relationship with their offerings - Google Photos is excellent and does some fantastic stuff with photos like creating GIFs and storylines, clever AI album sorting etc. Duo being integrated in the dialler for video calls, RCS now enabled in messaging etc etc. But I cannot abide the intrusion via adds on YouTube (I use Vanced on my Pixel 2xl/ublock on PC) I ditched Chrome on all platforms ages ago, I have no real need for Gmail/email whatsoever, rarely ever use Maps as don't need it where we live, most of the built in Google apps have been disabled etc but I love my 2xl despite the design being 2 years old, still has a stunning camera, and I get crazy levels of screen on time for my use. The latest generation Assistant on the P4 along with live captioning and transcribing are incredible though! And Android 10 is pretty good.

But it's the wider privacy issues versus the tradeoff for increased functionality that bothers me - I'm seriously considering putting a privacy focused custom rom on my phone and using third party YouTube and Google Camera apps etc for the parts I do want.

If you plan on getting a Pixel 4 make sure to get the XL version if you want any semblance of battery life!


S100HP

13,811 posts

198 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
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Still using an original Pixel here, it's excellent bar the naff battery life these days. Am fully integrated into Google but have just switched browsers to Brave, which is basically the same as chrome, just quicker and less intrusive.

miniman

30,189 posts

293 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
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Have had a Pixel 1 and now have a Pixel 3 - both excellent in all respects. Obviously Android takes a little getting used to if you have been an Apple user for a long time, but it doesn’t take long.

I find the deep integration between Apple products and accounts irritating. e.g. the 2-factor authentication between devices which you don’t necessarily have with you.

anonymous-user

85 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
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Use google for lots of things and have a pixel 4. The battery is not as bad as people suggest once you have used it for a week or two and the software manages the battery really well.

Google support is pretty decent. Ultimately whoever you trust your data with is a risk, but we use it and it has done us well so far.

Wont touch Facebook though, scum of the earth - delete that off your phones.

technodup

7,661 posts

161 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
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shopper150 said:
I’d say most of Google’s products are failures and get discontinued. What happened to Google Glasses!?
Other than search, I wouldn’t use them for anything.
I'm no Google fanboy but the people/companies who try the most things/take the most risks will inevitably also have the most failures. And the most public ones too.

But you can hardly call Gmail, Maps, Drive, AdWords, Youtube etc failures.

anonymous-user

85 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
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technodup said:
'm no Google fanboy but the people/companies who try the most things/take the most risks will inevitably also have the most failures. And the most public ones too.

But you can hardly call Gmail, Maps, Drive, AdWords, Youtube etc failures.
Also a lot of the tech that was developed into google glasses have been used in other software products. Much improved notification system in android which Apple continue to iCopy.

hyphen

26,262 posts

121 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
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technodup said:
shopper150 said:
I’d say most of Google’s products are failures and get discontinued. What happened to Google Glasses!?
Other than search, I wouldn’t use them for anything.
I'm no Google fanboy but the people/companies who try the most things/take the most risks will inevitably also have the most failures. And the most public ones too.

But you can hardly call Gmail, Maps, Drive, AdWords, Youtube etc failures.
Most of the successes of large corporations are not self built. They become rich enough to buy anything that looks anything near likely to be successful.

YouTube was purchased, so was android etc etc

Funk

27,779 posts

240 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
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shopper150 said:
I don’t think there is any meaningful support.
I've found Google's support to be fine when I've needed it.

I'm all-in on the Google world; Pixel 4 XL (Pixel 2 XL and Nexus 6P before that), Nest Thermostat and 3x Home Max speakers. My free Chromebook from the Pixel 4 XL pre-order promo is on its way too. I've long been an 'Android' guy since the first T-Mobile G1. It does all just work nicely whilst allowing you to customise where you want.

If monolithic global entities are after my personal data I may as well try and restrict it to allowing just one... hehe No Alexa or Facebook here... That said Google are putting far more privacy options in place these days in response to the way Apple do it etc.

Edited by Funk on Sunday 17th November 15:48

Derek Smith

49,986 posts

279 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
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I have four kids, all married. Three pairs owe allegiance to Apple with regards iphones, ipads and most with ilaptops.

A few years ago I was told how great ipads were but before jumping in at full price, I went for a cheapish android one just to try. After four or five years I replaced it, 2014 or so, with a Google-based one and still use it most days. My kids, on the other hand, have had three ipads in that time, at considerable price increase. They complain but can’t go android because of the integration of the rest of their life.

Much is cool with Apple; much seems pointlessly expensive.

I upgrade my desktop every year. I will alternate big price things, over £200, such as motherboard and processor, with cheaper items, such as an SSD or two, so an average of £150pa keeps me up to date. My kids have stopped using desktops due to expense. I have lots of software.

The price difference with phones is not so great any more, but for the same price you can get a choice of a range of androids, all of which will have something or somethings that are better than Apple.

Laptops; the price of Apple’s version for my recently specced £800 one would push up into £2000 for one with the same essentials (for me). It’s fair to say that an off-the-shelf windows one would probably be £1400 or so, and not everyone wants to spec their own, but the option is there. Again, the range of laptops for windows systems is vast.

My younger lad has a job-supplied, state of the art, iphone. He broke the screen. It cost his company the price of a cheap replacement phone for the screen to be replaced, let alone time. Oddly, they use none of the integration of Apple, so the costs are nonsensical.

One of my kids complained of a flat battery at my place. I offered to charge it, but was told, with some degree of bewilderment, that I would not have the necessary charger. Nor did his wife, who had a different model. What’s with Apple? Then there’s other forms of connections. I’ve got a memory stick with USBC which means it will connect to my desktop, laptop, tablet and phone. I was told, and have no reason to disbelieve, that the latest iphone in the family, replete with new, and very expensive, screen, which took inordinately long to repair, has connections which don’t connect to the older, maybe oldest, iphone.

I like iphones. I like some of the more modern android ones even more. I have a 2-year-old Moto G5s. I can’t see any reason to replace it, even though its replacement has been replaced. I haven’t broken the screen, but should I do so, it’s a few quid and a few minutes to repair.

Apple’s marketing is class of the field. I hope they have to pay through the nose for it. If so, then karma.


alorotom

12,789 posts

218 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
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I don't know what they're doing with their iPads ... they won't have failed, it's more likely they just wanted newer shiny devices

And I'm sorry as much as I love my pixel, apple have completely nailed the tablet market. iPads are far superior user experience devices to all android tablets.

Penelope Stopit

11,209 posts

140 months

Sunday 17th November 2019
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Would you leave a diary with much personal info in it.........?