I've been rather vocal about "getting off Google" in the past, and it's a battle I've been winning with my email for a few years now. But today I got my Droid (more on that later), and I thought long and hard before even ordering one because I knew what this would entail.
Obviously the Droid is using the Andoird OS, which means (surprise!) it's Google-centric. Google offers a huge amount of convenience, and the Android OS itself is absolutely spectacular. Temptation rears its head.
I've been researching mobile phones like crazy over the last few months, and when it comes to "freedom" there really are no great choices. The Neo FreeRunner keeps showing promise, but ultimately you're still going to be at the mercy of a cellular carrier, and picking the least amongst evils there isn't easy.
The iPhone is a COMPLETE non-starter for me. AT&T coverage is horrendously bad, particularly where I live, and there is no way I'm diving into Apple's cesspool of control. No offense to iPhone owners; if you're happy with it, great! But it's absolutely not for me.
I've had Verizon for years and been nothing but happy for years, so I've been suffering the crappy phones until the Droid came along. But the Droid has the Google problem I've been avoiding for so long, so what to do?
Well, on the Google fight I give up. I'm keeping my mattwoodward.com email address, but I changed that domain over to Google Apps for Domains today. That way I can get this all working seamlessly with my phone, and I guess I just have to trust that Google isn't all THAT evil. I'll keep using Scroogle for my searches when I'm at my desk though.
I guess the bottom line of this post is if you want the benefit of living in the cloud, you gotta trust somebody. So I suggest doing your research and choosing an option that works for you on all levels. Just make sure to have an out if the solution you align yourself with turns up the evil dial at a later date.
