[Ray III]

Um, BlackBerry does the same thing? I had to turn the location services off on my Z10 to get relatively decent battery life.

I don't use BB10 so I don't know about you. But every time I open Google Maps, it doesn't know where I am until it gets a GPS fix (because I opened the app). So I doubt my phone is tracing my route to all the liquor stores and brothels in town and selling the data to my mother.

[projectmx]

I also switched carried left bell and moved to wind so I ended up buying a nexus 5 since the z30 was too expensive as well as another reason:

I do miss my old torch but compared to the android experience until Blackberry can supply the application that I need I will never go back. I can now offline verify plant and animal identifications using apps that are basically my old field guides digitized and constantly updated. Also I can now view CAD drawings for restoration work and other work on my phone instead of having to bring my laptop out with me or cumbersome paper drawings.

I did have some issues where the phone would slow down at times until i figured out I had a ton of apps all open and running I have since fixed that.

That all being said there are some things i sorely miss from BB and if they can ever catch up to android and iphone i will very happily move back.

Blackberry has a much better calender (i love its notifications and how well facebook events merge its very helpful for birthdays, and beer and mead release events), i miss the security and how every app doesn't need access to your entire phone (like why does a newspaper app need access to my pictures and other files just to be installed on my phone), there are a few other small items i miss from my torch some I would miss even if I had switch to BB10.

Problem is all of these items are not deal breakers just things I miss. I still think BB is great they just aren't meeting my needs right now and before anyone points out that 10.2.1 can run android apps none of the ones that I really need are available to run on BB10 through the android runtime

[byex]

There's no Big Brother, and no one is "telling you what to do."

Ya sure buddaaaaay.

Posted via CB10

[21stNow]

Troy, you and Pantless Penguin are interjecting reason and evidence of other platforms being useful and good. You two know that is not accepted here. All other platforms are time-wasting, non-productive, evil platforms that turn their users from humans to mindless sheep. Only BlackBerry can be good - all others are poison.

Now back to the regularly scheduled programming.

[web99]

OP, I believe that you wanted that Nexus 5 all along and never really intended to get the Z30. If you really wanted the Z30, you would have gotten it. Anyway I'm glad that you got the phone that works best for you.

Posted from my Samsung Galaxy Note Tablet

[Bbnivende]

So in January I dropped my carrier (big red) and went shopping...I wanted to upgrade from my bold 9930 and from all my research I only liked two options Z30 and the Nexus 5. Cost wise it was a no brainer, emotionally it was hard to leave BB. I bought the Nexus out right and went to Tmobile....I can say that being on this phone for 2 months now that I see why BB can't make any head way in the US. The driod and apple experience is all about making money and collecting your data. If I download one more app that wants me to pay for something I am going to scream. If my phone ask me one more time to collect my location and data I am just going to scream louder. I have come to realize that as a BB user I dont expect apps to collect data unless I say so. I dont expect my info to be distributed to the highest bidder. So really it is the BB consumer that hurts BB. We dont like to have to pay monthly fees for an app, or to give our data over to and app. We expect a great product and privacy. If you get an andriod or apple you dont have a choice, you are a data and cash cow. MY Bold was great! a two year old phone that did everything I needed it to do. The other phone users can say that they have no problems with thier phones...BS. MY andriod updates an app every other day, so much I dont even that the app has been updated. The battery usage sucks compared to BB. I hate my FB app on here. My twitter app still freezes like on BB. BB products are great, dont believe that they are subpar! I tell people that I miss my BB all the time. The issue in the states is about data and cash, not the BB product. BB will only make head way in the states if they start selling data or pushing apps that want you to open your wallet. We as a BB community have to realize this. The BB phones have not conform to the US market, and we like that in a way. So dont blame BB they are doing what we ask them to do. I still use my playbook and to be truthful it's still up to par with most other tablets.

So your 9900 has a better battery and the Playbook is on par! Sure!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using CB Forums mobile app

[Mo Cat]

The reason I left Android and came back to BlackBerry. Note 2 is gathering dust since I've gotten the Q10. Not looking back and no regrets either. The data collection and permissions on Android are disgusting imo. If you cut permissions on an Android, good chance the app won't start anymore.

CB10 - Q10

[Wiki Cydia]

I am sorry if I offend you by saying droid or Driod in reference to andriod. As far as my experience with an iphone (Iphone) I played with my sister's for weeks. So the experience was short but I felt the majority of it was similar to the andriod experience. Actually it was less friendly and I typically dont like to follow the choices of the masses. BUT my point was that apple through it's Iphone likes to collect data and use it for it's profit.

I'm not "offended" by what you wrote, but accuracy is always preferred.

Apple's not a data selling company; it's a hardware selling company. Apple does collect data, but it's not selling that data to third parties. Apple Maps was absolutely awful when it launched from what I read (and maybe still is), but the only way it's going to get better is data. The same goes for bug fixes and usability problems. But know the following: all of these data sharing options can be turned off. You don't have to provide data to anyone. From Apple's point of view, their hardware business is a lot more lucrative than any data business anyway, so it's not like it's some kind of difficult decision.

Google sells data, but in a very specific way: targeted advertising. They don't sell mailing lists of people with cancer, they don't sell personal/demographic data. Because of their focus on advertising, they sell access to certain groups anonymously, so that the vendor doesn't get a list of every person that Google'd "bankruptcy" or "HIV" in the last month. None of this should be surprising at all, since there are hundreds millions (if not billions) of queries on Google services everyday, and though almost none of those queries are paying anything for the service, the company makes literally billions of dollars a quarter. They may not be good at disclosing precisely what they're doing with every bit of data, and some of what's happened with Google+ and Buzz is/was creepy, but it's not a though they're some evil company.

Sure, you can't necessarily disable this data collection, but you can choose to simply not use the services, and many people take that position. But you went ahead and bought a Nexus 5, so you certainly aren't one of those people. If you didn't realize Google had to have a way to sell you the Nexus 5 for $400 (without losing money) when you bought it, then I don't know what to tell you.

My point is this: have whatever opinion you like. But be accurate. Apple is a hardware-selling company, not a data selling company, and though Google is closer to data selling, it does so anonymously through targeted advertising. Don't confuse either of these companies for those compilers who will sell lists of people in certain groups by name, or who take data from multiple sources to create highly-specific profiles of individuals. All data collection is not the same. If you want to be paranoid, I suppose that's your right, but you are still using a Nexus 5, right?

Now app developers, on the other hand. . .that's a different story.

[silversmith75]

WHY does everyone assume there's malicious intent to Google wanting location and other data???? Consider this scenario:

I'm looking up a band on YouTube. I check my Google Now content, and it shows me that there's a concert for that band playing in town this weekend. It showed me that result because my search on YouTube indicated I was interested in this band, and my current location showed I was closeby to their concert venue. I click the concert listing on Google Now and it gives me options for purchasing tickets. What DOESN'T happen is getting bombarded with unsolicited phone calls from the ticket agencies saying "Hey, Google told us you like this band! Did you know they're playing in your area this weekend? Buy tickets from us!" You see the suggestion in Google Now, you decide if the concert is something you're interested, and if you are you can either buy tickets or swipe the suggestion away and not be alerted to it again.

Google Now also gives me real-time traffic alerts. I have it set to give me traffic alerts for work, home, the gym, and my brother and SIL's house. If you are a creature of habit and leave work at the same time every day, go to the gym right after work, and go home after 2 hours at the gym, you'll get alerts in your status bar about the traffic to each destination. If you put a location in a calendar entry, you'll get an alert about 20 minutes before the time you need to leave to get there on time based on traffic.

THESE FEATURES ARE DESIGNED TO HELP. Is it kind of creepy the first time GN predicted when I was about to leave for work? Sure. But the feature is a big help.

OP, you say you'll scream if you download one more app that wants you to pay for something? Hint...just don't download the app! Are you downloading games with in-app purchases or something? I'm sure you'll live without those. None of my apps require me to purchase anything unless it's for something I already subscribe to, like Netflix. Oh I just thought of once where I can purchase something - my OK Cupid app has an option to "promote" my profile by putting my profile to the front of the suggestion list for each person I match with for 15 minutes if I pay a dollar. It's never crossed my mind to be upset at this...I just don't do it.

My philosophy on apps from the Play Store is to only download apps that have the Editor's Choice and Top Developer distinctions. You'll see them on the app description page. The ONLY exception to this rule is that I download apps from my local news station, some restaurants, etc that may not have the Editor's Choice and Top Developer distinctions but they're from companies I trust.

Battery on the Nexus 5 is subpar compared to other high-end Android devices. The Nexus line typically has lower batteries, cameras, and other things to help keep the price lower than other flagships.

There are dozens of Twitter apps out there. Try one that doesn't freeze. I like Plume and TweetCaster. There are other FB apps as well but I don't have much experience with those.

Hope that helps. If it doesn't and you're still unhappy, try searching the CB marketplace to see if anyone would trade a Z10 or Q10 for your Nexus 5.

It doesn't matter with android if you notice when you download an app from bbw you have boxes check which can be unchecked. Android just tells you what info it's going to take.

Posted via CB10

[BBSpring]

Wow, dude. No disrespect intended. But, you swallowed it all. Do you really believe Google NOW is doing this amazing tech out of the need to ease your life? Maybe as an example The XXXXX party lowered the tax rate for corps to encourage business investment too.
There is a fire sale going on and it's called user data. The features you describe entices and helps, in turn you get more ads, more products, more mail, more "personalized" info. Some/most may not care, but brokered user data is nothing to be taken lightly.

At SXSW, Snowden spoke about security/privacy , people cheered and then tweeted and shared,LOL. On Sunday @CBS- 60 mins did a long story about personal data for sale, It's no longer a topic to ignore.

" There is no big brother" why is Snowden hiding out? He needed a vacation???

There's no Big Brother, and no one is "telling you what to do." Rather, it's giving you information, right when you need it, so that you can have the information you need to make the best decisions.

If you put an appointment in your Calendar, and you get a notification, does that freak you out? Is your phone "telling you what to do?" This isn't any different, except that you had to do work to make that notification useful to you. With Google Now, Google does the work for you, so that you have more time to do the things you want to do.

[greenberry666]

You are a breath of fresh air! You stated the truth so eloquently. These things are designed to make our lives easier and, if used intelligently, do little to no harm. Exaggerating does nothing to hurt Apple and Google but some people still don't get it.

Posted via my Nexus 10.

Folks ain't bin readin no news.

[app_Developer]

Wow, dude. Not disrespect intended. But, you swallowed it all. Do you really believe Google NOW is doing this amazing tech out of the need to ease your life?

Why can't it be both? Of course companies make products in order to make money. That's sort of the point. We all work for companies which make products that we believe will make money. How else do we get paid?

But Google Now is also an awesome product that makes my life easier. It gives me a great set of information I need faster than any other product I know of. Google makes a bunch of products that I love; good for them that they make money doing it.

Yes, I do tell them where I am. Yes, my employer knows where I ate dinner tonight. And Best Buy, Apple, and my credit card company know what I bought after dinner. I appreciate that bothers some people, but it doesn't bother me as long as I get something in return.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[medic22003]

If it's your favorite band and you care that much then you can get text alerts or tweets. Don't need an app tracking all you do. I'm now on my 2 ND BlackBerry after running a z10 for the first 3 months of the year. Part of the reason I left android for BlackBerry was because of all the Google snooping. I don't use Chrome either. I don't even want android apps on my BlackBerry. Google and apple as well as the carriers here are in bed with the snoops for profit and yeah saying for reasons they shouldn't be in the case of the government. If I didn't need to have a cell phone I wouldn't, but since I do its gonna be a BlackBerry if possible.

Posted via CB10

[Tre Lawrence]

If it's your favorite band and you care that much then you can get text alerts or tweets. Don't need an app tracking all you do. I'm now on my 2 ND BlackBerry after running a z10 for the first 3 months of the year. Part of the reason I left android for BlackBerry was because of all the Google snooping. I don't use Chrome either. I don't even want android apps on my BlackBerry. Google and apple as well as the carriers here are in bed with the snoops for profit and yeah saying for reasons they shouldn't be in the case of the government. If I didn't need to have a cell phone I wouldn't, but since I do its gonna be a BlackBerry if possible.

Posted via CB10

Non-confrontational question: are you okay with BBRY collecting information and potentially selling it?

[BBSpring]

I agree that Google Now is great software, and it's use is valuable. My concern is that folks are spending time convincing others that there is nothing going on. If you choose to be uninformed or informed without concern, more power to you, but I don't take it lightly when there is an effort to convince people that the prime reason some of these services exist is to better their lives when the real business is to generate revenue from the sale of our personal information. These companies are revenue generating companies, not fun hobbies, it has become profitable to gather data, mine it and sell it in bundles to companies that need to research, sell and who knows what else. If you don't mind, it's not a crime in my books. I care.

Why can't it be both? Of course companies make products in order to make money. That's sort of the point. We all work for companies which make products that we believe will make money. How else do we get paid?

But Google Now is also an awesome product that makes my life easier. It gives me a great set of information I need faster than any other product I know of. Google makes a bunch of products that I love; good for them that they make money doing it.

Yes, I do tell them where I am. Yes, my employer knows where I ate dinner tonight. And Best Buy, Apple, and my credit card company know what I bought after dinner. I appreciate that bothers some people, but it doesn't bother me as long as I get something in return.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[vrud]

I was installing AVG (antivirus) on my desktop and the following sentence in their TOS reminded me about this thread:

2.5 AVG Do Not Track.

(i). AVG may include the AVG Do Not Track Feature within the Software. The Feature allows you to identify websites that are tracking your online activities. In addition, you may elect whether you want to block such tracking activities or not, according to your privacy preferences. AVG shall not be responsible for the results of any changes to the settings of the Feature performed by you. You expressly agree that by default the Feature blocks certain websites from tracking your activities on the Internet. Should you object to such blocking, please change your preferences at any time via the Feature icon in your Internet browser. You expressly agree that some content of third party websites on the Internet may not be visible to you, if you keep the default setting of the Feature activated, or if you change your default settings to block all tracking activities. You expressly agree that not all tracking may be identified.

(ii). You agree that the Feature will only be functional in the following Internet browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. In iOS and MAC OSX the feature will only be functional in the following Internet browsers: AVG Family Safety browser and AVG Safe browser.

(iii). You agree that the Feature may inform any tracking websites or website elements about your wish to block their activities. No further information is transmitted in such communication.

It would be nice to have an antivirus on smartphones that disables tracking BUT at the same time doesn't limit device functionality.

[byex]

Is it safe to say that if you pay for an app then you also pay for the privilege to not have targeted ads? Or your preferences /history/locations etc. scraped from your phone?

Many people use the argument that the app is free so don't complain when you have to give up permissions. It's a way for the developer or Google or someone to generate revenue.
Paid apps should allow the user to deselect certain permissions.

I doubt google would ever allow that.

Posted via CB10

[pantlesspenguin]

I agree that Google Now is great software, and it's use is valuable. My concern is that folks are spending time convincing others that there is nothing going on. If you choose to be uninformed or informed without concern, more power to you, but I don't take it lightly when there is an effort to convince people that the prime reason some of these services exist is to better their lives when the real business is to generate revenue from the sale of our personal information. These companies are revenue generating companies, not fun hobbies, it has become profitable to gather data, mine it and sell it in bundles to companies that need to research, sell and who knows what else. If you don't mind, it's not a crime in my books. I care.

I don't think anyone is denying that Google is out to make money like any other corporation. The hypocrisy lies with people who like to think that Google is the ONLY company out there who collects data. So many websites, retailers, credit card companies, etc collect data. Why don't other companies get a bad rap around here if this is so important to people? I've been using Android on and off for about 3 years or so, and Google services long before that. I haven't received junk mail, telemarketing calls, imposing ads, etc that people seem to think they'll start receiving because of Google.

However, I used to be a market research interviewer. We got soooooo much information about consumers from our clients. The information came from lists of people that purchased a certain car model, people that listen to certain radio stations, people that purchase a certain brand of coffee, people that voted for certain politicians, etc. It was pretty ridiculous looking back. It's also kind of funny to think that everyone is all up in arms about our information getting out, when just a few short years ago we all had landlines and had our full names, phone numbers, and addresses published in the phone book for everyone in town to see. Where was the outcry then?

[Troy Tiscareno]

There is a fire sale going on and it's called user data. The features you describe entices and helps, in turn you get more ads, more products, more mail, more "personalized" info.

I'm not getting any mails, and no companies are getting my personal info. That's what you don't seem to get. Even if I search for "2014 Corvette ZR-1", neither General Motors, my local Chevy dealer, or GMAC financing (much less anyone else) gets my name, address, phone number, email, or any of that from Google. If they did, then, yes, I'm sure I'd be flooded with offers.

Instead, GM may "buy" those search terms at Google, so that when I do a search for "2014 Corvette ZR-1", the first sponsored link I see is the GM website for the Corvette ZR-1. Maybe my local dealer also "bought" those search terms at the local level, so the second sponsored link is my local Chevy dealer. Those links show up at the top of my Google search results. THAT'S IT.

If I never click on those sponsored links, then I'm never going to see any "ads" that might be on the website. Whether I do so is completely up to me.

What you may not understand is that you are going to see sponsored links in your web browser no matter what - that's how web search companies make money. Google collects information so that those links, which will be there no matter what, are relevant to my interests. On other search engines that no nothing about me, I may get a link for tampons, or AARP memberships, or stuff for children, none of which I have any interest in. With Google, I get ads for things I actually am interested in. It's still up to me to click those links or not - Google isn't forcing me to do anything, but by targeting me with ads I care about, I'm more likely to click them than if they are things that I have no interest in.

You can demonize that all you like, but people who understand what's going on aren't going to be fooled. Google is NOT the NSA, nor are they the NSA-equivalent that exists in 50 other countries around the world. I'm aware of the data I give to Google, and I give it willingly, because in return, Google gives me things of value. Google's apps and services have value to me, and to a whole lot of people. Why do you think so many BB users are upset that they aren't getting Google Services Framework and Google Play access on their BBs?

If you don't think BB is collecting your data, you are fooling yourself. It may not be as much as Google does, but then, BB isn't providing you with a wide array of "free" services in return either. But, if you use third-party cloud services (maps, Dropbox/Box, Outlook, etc.), then THOSE companies are all collecting your data too. At least with Google, I can live on just Google services and keep my data contained to a single company. They've also proven over the years to be good stewards of my data - far better than many other big companies have been.

[potatoguy]

people will care about their privacy in the yrs to come. right now they dont see the ill effects and wont til its too late. this is all new to us.

[Tre Lawrence]

If you don't think BB is collecting your data, you are fooling yourself.

I bet you'd be surprised at the amount of people here who haven't read BB's TOS.

[iN8ter]

I understand exactly what your saying. I freaked out when the phone figured that every Tuesday and Thursday I go to the gym and not straight home. I am not saying that google or any app is up to no good with all the data it collects, I am saying that because they do...the carriers push the platforms and phones so much harder.

This makes no sense.

First of all, Google Now asks you to turn on Location History and Reporting as it asks you to turn itself on. You can click no and use only Google Search and Universal Device Search, or you can turn on Now and disallow it from using your Location so that it cannot make such predictions...

This has nothing to do with what phones the carriers push. That part simply doesn't even began to register to me... Like, what?

[iN8ter]

Paragraphs, ain't nobody got time fo' dat'

Oh no you didn't go there...

Spelling, Grammar, and formatting is off limits!!!

[PygmySurfer]

Instead, GM may "buy" those search terms at Google, so that when I do a search for "2014 Corvette ZR-1", the first sponsored link I see is the GM website for the Corvette ZR-1. Maybe my local dealer also "bought" those search terms at the local level, so the second sponsored link is my local Chevy dealer. Those links show up at the top of my Google search results. THAT'S IT.

Actually, that's not it. When you search for the Corvette ZR-1, Google is going to keep that in it's profile on you, and it's going to cross reference that information with all the other things you've searched for. Maybe Google sees that you've also searched for pizza and takeout quite often, and that you searched for local nudie bars, and from this they've deduced you're a single male, probably young, and maybe you can't afford that ZR-1. What if we showed you this Honda Civic ad, instead? Or maybe Ford paid Google more money than GM, and they show you an ad for the Shelby GT-500 instead?

If you visit any websites with Google +1 buttons on them, Google nows that as well, whether you click the +1 button or not (Facebook does this with Like buttons, as well, PLUS they can cross reference your likes with your FB friends, to build an even more in-depth profile on you). For example, let's say you read an article on baby seats, they can assume you might have children, or are soon expecting children. If you continue reading similar articles, they can become more sure about the pregnancy, and deliver targeted ads based on that.

These are just a few examples - think of all of the things you search for and read on the web, and try to imagine how Google (or Facebook, or dozens of other companies) could relate them, and build a profile on you. If there's one thing that you need to understand, it's that you are NOT Google's customer, you're their PRODUCT. Their customers are the companies who's ads they deliver to you.

[collinc93]

Troy, you and Pantless Penguin are interjecting reason and evidence of other platforms being useful and good. You two know that is not accepted here. All other platforms are time-wasting, non-productive, evil platforms that turn their users from humans to mindless sheep. Only BlackBerry can be good - all others are poison.

Now back to the regularly scheduled programming.

...yeaaahhh sure,,,anything you say