But via things like Android, they tend to lock tou into their SaaS offerings. The goal is the same adware/spyware system that has long plagued Windows. Maybe not to the same extent or with the same OS implications, but I wouldn't discount the problems that this can cause in the future as Google expands into more areas.
For example it recently occurred to me: Google Voice transcribes your voice mail to text. I wonder to what extent they index that and use this as a sample of your telephone conversations as a way of better targetting ads to you. That strikes me as very scary because at that point I have no control over the retention of this information and then it becomes something the government can easily subpoena via something like the Stored Communications Act.
For example it recently occurred to me: Google Voice transcribes your voice mail to text. I wonder to what extent they index that and use this as a sample of your telephone conversations as a way of better targetting ads to you. That strikes me as very scary because at that point I have no control over the retention of this information and then it becomes something the government can easily subpoena via something like the Stored Communications Act.