• EliteCloneMike@lemmy.zip
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    11 days ago

    Highly recommend people leave Google services. Use Ente to store photos. Proton for email. DuckDuckGo or Ecosia for search. Organic Maps for directions. FreeTube or yewtu.be for videos. Venice AI as your advanced chatbot. Google needs to be broken up and regulated.

    • tuxiqae@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      11 days ago

      Never heard of Venice AI, asked it what it does different, one of the things it said was:

      I don’t need to be politically correct or “woke” in my responses

      Fuck that shit

      • EliteCloneMike@lemmy.zip
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        10 days ago

        That was just one example. There are many more. Like Minstral’s Le Chat or Proton’s Lumo. It’s not about how it responds per se, more about it being more private than Gemini.

    • nullify3112@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      Other options:

      • Tuta for email
      • CoMaps for maps and directions on your phone
      • Nextcloud for self hosted cloud and pictures
      • ublock origin and sponsor block to browse YT in a non chromium browser.
    • QualifiedKitten@discuss.online
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      11 days ago

      I’m slowly working on getting away from Google, but unfortunately, Organic Maps doesn’t offer public transit directions/schedules in my region, and since I don’t have a car, that’s like 80% of what I use Google Maps for.

      • KatherinaReichelt@feddit.org
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        10 days ago

        Check out the apps from your local public transit authority. In my region what Google offers in regard to public transit is utter trash and the “official” apps are having the correct shedule

      • nullify3112@lemmy.world
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        10 days ago

        Check if CoMaps can work for you in your city. If you want a closed source app: Transit is amazing for bus and subway live arrival times

      • kent_eh@lemmy.ca
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        10 days ago

        but unfortunately, Organic Maps doesn’t offer public transit directions/schedules in my region

        It is based on data from the Open Street Map project.

        If nobody in your area has added that information, it won’t be there.

        The good news is, anyone (including you) can add that information and provide a public service to the people of your area.

      • skaffi@infosec.pub
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        10 days ago

        Coming from someone also without a car - KDE Itinerary is the best thing I’ve used for that purpose yet, and it’s free and open source too. Perhaps it’ll fulfill your use case too?

    • terabyterex@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      i never had gmail or used google search. but i dont save my info on anyone else’s server anymore. i use nextcloud hosted on my server, i use immich for my photos. calibre server for my books. everything is mine

    • Fmstrat@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      Couple of recommended changes if you are self hosting:

      • Immich vs Ente. The feature set better mirrors Google’s when self hosting.
      • OpenWebUI with local models instead of Venice AI - Heard some bad things about Venice’s “anti-woke” system prompt.
      • boonhet@sopuli.xyz
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        10 days ago

        CoMaps is the less suspicious fork. Organic was made by two shady dudes from Russia and Belarus.

  • tias@discuss.tchncs.de
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    10 days ago

    Ugh. Even if I wanted this product, their track record on long term product support has erased my trust. They never fixed connectivity for the Chromecast and now they’ve discontinued it. Why am I gonna buy something that breaks down or gets an expensive subscription in a couple of years.

    Plus, if I post a video their stakeholders don’t like on YouTube I risk getting locked out of every Google service including Gemini, all by automated processes and with no way to even talk to a human to explain my case. They are judge, jury and executioner within their ecosystem.

    • qevlarr@lemmy.world
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      10 days ago

      Sure, you can say it’s an honest mistake by the customer and by Google. But then Google wouldn’t budge. This guy was left with zero options

    • KatherinaReichelt@feddit.org
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      10 days ago

      Yeah - they’ve abandoned so many products that I really do not want another new Google product in my life that will be abandoned in the future. And their track record with banning accounts for no reason while providing no support at all doesn’t help

  • realitista@lemmus.org
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    11 days ago

    Anyone who didn’t learn their lesson from the Nest debacle is a fool. I would never let another Google device into my home.

    • Em Adespoton@lemmy.ca
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      11 days ago

      Can if everyone else integrates it into their hardware (see Apple Siri integrating Gemini, and likely upcoming contracts with Samsung and LG to bake it into household appliances).

      I’ve been finding it more and more difficult to find household electronics for sale that don’t have Alphabet products baked in.

      • brap@lemmy.world
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        11 days ago

        Ah shit I forget about non-Google phones being infected. I’ve got Apple AI or whatever it’s called turned off, I guess it’s time to really think about the convenient-to-privacy ratio and decide where I stand.

        • frongt@lemmy.zip
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          11 days ago

          Consider a Pixel and GrapheneOS. Or whatever ends up happening with GrapheneOS on Motorola phones.

    • badgermurphy@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      That seems to have already happened. My kids and their gaggle of teenage friends never utter the name of that company that I’ve heard. The phrase “search it up” is common.

      • Polkira@piefed.ca
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        10 days ago

        I’ve been trying to correct myself every time I want to say “google it” to “look it up” or “search it”, it’s a bit of an uphill battle since I’ve been saying google it for years but I’ll get there.

  • jordanlund@lemmy.world
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    11 days ago

    “Hey Co-Pilot, remove Gemini”

    “Hey Gemini, remove Co-Pilot”

    Let them fight it out. 😉

    • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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      9 days ago

      sounds like what MS is trying to do. they cant keep peddling AI forever, the dues will come eventually. right now they hype is done on 2 fronts, through conventions and through trying to push it into everything, and peddling it to gov’t for the promise of SURVEILLANCE tech.

  • monkeyslikebananas2@lemmy.world
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    11 days ago

    But it is so bad. I don’t understand how with all the data they have about everyone their Gemini integrations in their products suck so much. Can’t make a proper task from the email list. Can’t find docs related to meetings. It is all literally in their systems.

    Their product managers are so shortsighted. Jam half-assed stuff and pat themselves on the back.

    I know people will probably disagree but I like the fact that Apple has stepped back on AI and slowed down. I suspect once they finally release something. It may actually be useful and probably opt-in/out. Whether the op-out is actually real is another debate.

    • jordanlund@lemmy.world
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      11 days ago

      Take Gemini out of it… Lets say you get spam in Gmail and you mark it “Block Sender”.

      It doesn’t actually block them, it just routes it to the Spam folder. If you’re super lucky, it routes it to Trash. At no point are they blocked from sending to you.

      • artyom@piefed.social
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        11 days ago

        LOL also “All Mail” is NOT all mail. And their search function is and has been broken for as long as I can remember. How Google continues to fuck up such basic functions of their core products and yet people will shell out to use it, I will never understand.

  • Greyghoster@aussie.zone
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    11 days ago

    The HomeAssistant ecosystem is a lot neater, it lets you do what you want without billionaires screwing with your life.