One thing I would miss are AI assistants. I do use the shit out of those. "Hey siri call my wife on speaker". Just so fast and easy.
Returning to our sidebar, an addendum:
Have you ever tried Bixby? No really, quit laughing...
I had a wild hair after this whole Parler thing, and talking with you, and in some part
@thackney , and decided I had enough - I proceeded to remove Google from my life - Now I already know that to be impossible at some level, but I figured to find that level and proceed no further. Wherever 'there' was would be my proverbial line in the sand. For now.
Foremost on the list was AI, and having given Bixby the axe without forethought for Giggles on the grounds of 'better the devil I know', I revisited Bixby. And Bixby is now where I want to be.
In the first place, She understands me. In a roughly four hour period, I had to correct her once, maybe twice. And that is barely getting to know her. I have been with Giggles forever and in that same time frame, would have corrected or rephrased many times... call it 10, just to give it a number.
Also not to be forgotten, she 'moves' to whichever device is closest and will only answer from one device - presumably the one you are using. If I say 'Hey Giggles', she wakes up on anything within earshot, all at the same time. Presumably then, actions by Bixby (reminders, alarms) would follow suit, and would follow you.
These two structural differences are enough to make Bixby worth a look for me.
And in the course of that, I began to give the axe to Giggles and to Google in general. Not having the sheer balls that would take on my actual phone, I began on my tablet. Nuke and Pave. Have my samsung account the reins, and didn't even let Google in the door till I finally set up email.
I enabled Bixby Home, and used the stock samsung apps - all of which normally would have been disabled in favor of Google (Contacts, Messages, Keyboard, and etc). And disabling as much Google as that android could take... Now of course, that left my PIM intact - As soon as I entered my mail, Samsung's messaging and PIM components found my stash.
And it was a worthy lesson - My tablet is much lighter now and still functional, albeit that I am uncomfortable in the apps I am using, though that may come with time as I become accustomed.
But it was also a failure - At the very bottom of everything is location. and it uses Google for that natively, and to my knowledge, without recourse. And IF Google location THEN all is google, and there is very little difference in what you might do above that. You CAN disable location... But the bloody thing is a brick without it.
And the final straw for this go-around... My tablet is Giggles ONLY. I cannot get the Bixby components that are the AI ... I guess it is too old. Which may force the issue for a new tab.
But I CAN say that Bixby is worth a look.
