Google Keep Labelled "Delete" 221
judgecorp writes "The Google Keep note-keeping app has had a frosty reception. Analysts including Gartner have said its functionality is laughable compared to that of the rival Evernote (saying "it's like saying MSFT Paint is a threat to Photoshop") and other users have rejected it on the grounds that after the death sentence on Reader, Google can't be trusted not to pull the plug on a service which people have come to rely on."
delete? (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe an extra l there?
My first thought was "how can I trust them with this when they just killed reader?"
I thought features were passe? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's nice to see an application (yeah, I typed out the whole word!) slammed for being too simplistic.
How can you trust google not to delete it (Score:5, Insightful)
Said everyone with a gmail account. Honestly, even if they do you will still have a copy of your data synced on your devices and the precedent is that you'll be able to get your data anyway.
Re:No? (Score:2, Insightful)
Perhaps it could be called "polarizing" instead? Normally when Google rolls out a product it's met with (from my experience) hesitantly positive reviews. Google Wave got a bunch of comments on- and off-line along the lines of "This looks neat, but I'll wait and see," as did Google Plus, Google Voice, etc. Maybe it sucks, maybe it's great, maybe people are just in a week-long state where they are keenly aware of Google services, whatever.
I am Jack's total lack of surprise... (Score:4, Insightful)
"Google can't be trusted not to pull the plug on a service which people have come to rely on" - They've just now realized this? LOL.
Most people on /. have known this for years.
Google knows what it's doing when it comes to search (including maps), and (after several years) Android - everything else is stuff built/rolled out/supported by disparate uncoordinated groups with no coherent strategy or purpose beyond "hey, this looks like something the PR guys would like."
Re:delete? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I thought features were passe? (Score:5, Insightful)
No, Microsoft came out with Metro because they don't know what the fuck they're doing.
Re:delete? (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly, I will stick with the company that has their whole business model based in note taking and similar services.
Re:delete? (Score:5, Insightful)
Google Keep does not affect your data even if Google would clean it off.
Why? Because Google Keep is tied to Google Drive where it store notes. And they are just text, image and sound files. Nothing radical would not happen if you couldn't use Google Keep anymore.
Google Reader does not kill RSS. There are plenty of RSS readers out there. Now it only demands that you need to sync readed/unreaded in different way but all the RSS feeds can be imported and exported to almost any reader. There is no such problem with Google Reader cleaned off.
Media is talking about Google Reader as it kills RSS from WWW.
Re:delete? (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly. First iGoogle, then Reader, two user-friendly, very efficient ways of getting stuff I want to see in front of my beady eyes. Google kills them both, and is constantly begging / pushing me to use Google +, which I have absolutely no wish to use. Both iGoogle and Reader were great examples of things Google did very well. Now they are putting their resources into things that OTHER companies do very well, like Google + and Google Keep.
I have ties to Gmail I need for now, but beyond that I'm not getting involved in Google anything.
"Beta" means something different to Google. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:delete? (Score:5, Insightful)
Killing Reader didn't kill RSS. But killed all the ecosystem around it, both from apps and for the way you used it. Why i should do an alternative app that makes use of Keep if they could end it tomorrow? Why i use it to store notes if they could not be there tomorrow, and all that that was put there because that particular way of access is not there anymore?
In any case, either with Drive or Takeout, you don't lose your data, but it lose a part of its value without the "right" way to access it, all of it. A bit more "bening" shutdown was Wave [wikipedia.org], that if well was discontinued but open sourced the server so you can continue using it in the same way elsewhere.
Re:delete? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:I am Jack's total lack of surprise... (Score:5, Insightful)
Google knows what it's doing when it comes to search (including maps), and (after several years) Android - everything else is stuff built/rolled out/supported by disparate uncoordinated groups with no coherent strategy or purpose beyond "hey, this looks like something the PR guys would like."
What a stupid statement. "They only knew what they were doing those times they did well." Most of their projects, with the exception of search, started out as disparate uncoordinated groups with no coherent strategy.
Re:No? (Score:2, Insightful)
What is clear is that Google is in the habit of ending useful services, so getting used to using this service is probably not indicated.
"Serious note taking" (Score:2, Insightful)
I really agree with a lot of points you're making, but there's something about this whole thing that, to me, speaks volumes about the absurdity of computing today.
What the hell is "serious note taking"? Is there really some situation where I would need to sync my notes across my desktop and mobile phone, where I couldn't just put it in my phone to begin with? Isn't this all what saving to your computer, or in a cloud folder, or a text editor is all about?
I really don't mean to knock Evernote--I understand why people like it--and also can understand people's skepticism of where Google has been going since management changed there, especially given their recent track history. But I also think there's a tempest in a teacup quality to all of this. I mean, the notetaking apps I use don't sync across anything and they're fine. I'm sure Google Keep is fine for 90% of people. I suspect that a large proportion of people using Evernote overvalue their notes, even as a large proportion of people make good use of it.
The reason why Google can integrate these sorts of services, and people use them, is because their value to most people (*most people* being the key here) is so small, but in aggregate is so large to Google.
I worry about Google, and the crap they're pulling makes me take a second use at Evernote, Dropbox, etc. However, even if those services disappeared together with those of Google, would it really hurt me? No.
There's something scary to me when we talk about Google Keep as if it's a nuclear powerplant control system, or a word processing program, or something like that. Some people just want to jot down notes.
A better comparison (Score:4, Insightful)
Google Reader: Survived eight years DESPITE BEING FREE
Evernote: Has only five eight years history BUT CHARGES MONEY FOR APPS AND SERVICES.
Google Keep: ALSO FREE JUST LIKE READER
Huh, I wonder which one may be around after eight more years - the one that pays for it's own existence or the one that's like a pony in the stables of a rich guy with a bad gambling problem?.
Re:Oh shit!!! (Score:5, Insightful)
What Microsoft gets,
Yep, Microsoft products and their Kin will always play for sure!
Re:No? (Score:5, Insightful)
They are the new and improved Netcraft. If Gartner confirms it you can be sure it isn't happening.
Seriously, their entire business is providing "intelligence" that contradicts reality for company that find the facts inconvenient.
Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Oh shit!!! (Score:2, Insightful)
Facebook admits hiring PR firm to smear Google
http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/12/facebook-admits-hiring-pr-firm-to-smear-google/ [engadget.com]
Apple's war against Google
http://www.informationweek.com/development/mobility/apples-war-against-google-time-for-new-t/240002054 [informationweek.com]
Microsoft Wage War on Google
http://www.idfmarketing.com/blog/microsoft-wage-war-on-google/ [idfmarketing.com]
Microsoft spending 7 figures to revive Gmail smear campaign
http://9to5google.com/2013/02/07/microsoft-spending-7-figures-to-revive-gmail-smear-campaign/ [9to5google.com]