How to tell Google to get lost?
Published on 21 March 2013
So Google has decided to shut up shop for good. It's sad news, but so it goes. Indeed, the shutdown of Google Reader, announced for three months from now, is only the tip of the iceberg. Google wants to refocus on the dead-octopus trade in Angola, its most profitable division. It makes sense, after all. So we're going to have to find alternatives to everything. And that works out well, because I've been trying myself for a few years now to avoid Google as much as possible.
So, what do we do now that Google is shutting down?
Here we go.
- GMAIL (email client) I never bought into GMAIL. A matter of ergonomics and habit, and probably "ads" too. I'm an Apple customer, so I go through iCloud, and my main email address ends in @me.com. I'm quite aware that Apple isn't much more reliable than Google on the "what if I shut down a service?" front, but so far, I'm happy with the service. Your ISP also very likely offers you an email address, but that's risky, in case you switch providers. And what do we say about the new Hotmail?
- Google Maps (maps and navigation) Hard to find an alternative on the Web, but I try to calculate my routes around Paris with the RATP site now, and on my iPhone, I really use Apple's Maps app. It's clearly less capable than Google Maps, but I have good hope it'll improve over time.
- Google Calendar (calendar) I don't use it either, and here too I go through Apple's calendars. Never a bug, never a crash, reliable. I can't see Apple shutting down the service…
- Feedburner (stats tool for RSS feeds) There have been several rumors about Feedburner shutting down, after Google bought it. Not really an alternative to the service, but you could say RSS feeds annoy every publisher, and have gradually become obsolete. I already no longer install Feedburner on the new sites I create day to day.
- Google Read (RSS feed reader) Now that one bugs me. There are already lots of alternatives, but none suit me. I'm waiting to see if my feed reader (Reeder) launches something, or decides to partner with another service equivalent to Google Reader. I'll keep watching.
- Google Keep (note-taking) Google Keep is Google's latest baby, cloud note-taking. It's rubbish, it was just launched to annoy Evernote, and it stinks. So use Evernote if you don't already, it'll change your life.
- Google Talk (instant messaging) I still use Google Talk, via Adium. Just like I still use MSN, which is supposed to shut down in about a fortnight. So I'm going to be in a bit of a bind, and apart from Facebook Chat, I don't really know what to switch to…
- Google Docs (office suite and document sharing) That one's a pain, boycotting Google Docs is going to be complicated, I'm waiting to test the "Cloud" capabilities of Office 365, but it's not looking great.
- Android (mobile operating system) iOS, Windows Phone, let's say there's choice. When I see the mass of Android users re-migrating to iPhone lately, I'm pretty happy with my baseline choice.
- Google+ (Facebook, but even sleazier) Let's be serious, folks. Google+ is a big joke.
- Google Translate (online translator) Reverso is your friend. On iOS I use Ultralingua.
- Google (search engine) Tricky, but Bing actually gives very good results.
- YouTube (videos on the Internet) I never really used YouTube, not seriously anyway. I've had a Vimeo account forever, and it suits me just fine.
- Picasa (photo hosting) Never used it either, but you can always head over to Flickr (although…)
- Google News (well that one's pretty clear, huh) I'm a die-hard loyalist to Yahoo News!
- Google Chrome (Internet browser) Safari for Ever. Too bad Apple doesn't look after it enough, but oh well. If you're on PC, I remind you that IE is now a very good browser. Yes, really.
- Google Drive (online storage) Dropbox is my friend for life. Much more stable, much more complete, and sexier.
- Google Analytics (web stats tool) Got a WordPress blog? WP-Stat does the job just fine, otherwise there's always Xiti…
- Google Adsense (cash, ads, and free hookers) Money, always money, that's all you think about, huh?
So what about you? What are your alternatives? How are you going to manage?
Photo credit: AI-generated illustration
By Paingout