DITCH GOOGLE

8 superior services that won’t sell your data

The same way Microsoft leveraged Windows to hook us on to the other products in its portfolio, so Google uses search to drag us towards its other services. But are all of them best in class? No, not even close.

We’ve scoured through Google’s extensive repertoire of software and services and tested them against rivals in each market. If you’ve been sucked into the Google way of doing things, here’s your escape route.

1 Chrome

Chrome is the first app many people install on a new PC, but there are better alternatives – and one of them is conveniently built on the same browser engine.

Vivaldi runs on Chromium, the open-source engine that sits underneath Chrome. That has one big advantage: access to the Chrome Web Store. All the extensions you’ve grown accustomed to in Chrome can also be installed for Vivaldi.

Vivaldi’s much more than Chrome with a fresh lick of paint, though. It provides a tremendous set of tools for power users – people who want a browser to do much more than house their bookmarks and passwords.

Found yourself 20 links deep in a website and don’t want to press Back 20 times to fight your way back to its homepage? Vivaldi’s Rewind button – just along from the regular Back button – will quickly get you back to the start of the domain.

The browser’s Notes feature is a blessing for those of us who spend hours researching stuff online. Highlight a passage of text in the browser, right-click to Copy To Note, and you’ve got a lasting, searchable reference saved, along with a link to the original piece should you ever need to refer back.

The browser even has its own Task Manager, allowing you to squelch troublesome tabs without dragging the rest of the browser down with it.

Vivaldi is supremely customisable, has a strong ethical bent and doesn’t try to force you down Google tunnels at every turn like Chrome does. The only serious downside is that Vivaldi is yet to release its promised mobile version, making cross-device browser sync impossible.

2 Photos

Google Photos has undeniable strengths, especially if you’re an Android user. A seamlessly backed up copy of every photo or video you take on your smartphone might be worth it for that alone.

VIVALDI IS MUCH MORE THAN JUST GOOGLE CHROME WITH A FRESH LICK OF PAINT