Microsoft Vs Google - where are we headed?

[PSmitty]

Years ago Samsung started a venture with Microsoft, so now our Gallery and backups are synced to OneDrive, Samsung Notes with OneNote, etc. This was great because many organizations use Microsoft enterprise.

However, with the recent Google Gemini partnership, it seems we're getting into a mess of ecosystems. Microsoft has Copilot that works with Microsoft apps and services (Word, Outlook, Onenote, etc) but Google Gemini Live integrates with Google Docs, Gmail, etc.

So..my question is, where are we headed? Syncing files and data to Microsoft but having Gemini that essentially doesn't work with those services is a bit...short-sighted and will significantly limit its capabilities. Anybody have any insight?

[PSmitty]

Yeah, this was an afterthought to me too, with Google owning Android it may be a situation where it's a bit of a forced partnership. While Samsung is a vessel for Android it'd be nice if they can come to an agreement to at least allow the option between the two solutions, but time will tell. Appreciate your input!

[SDKevin]

I'm mostly in the Microsoft world and now have Copilot and Copilot 365 apps to fill in the AI gaps. I prefer copilot and hope it will someday have more control over phone functionality.

[PSmitty]

Agreed, hoping we get the ability to use CoPilot in place of Gemini, this would make more sense with the current system

[SamWitwicky217]

Not to stir the pot, but I personally don't want either forced on me or to even come pre-installed. I wish Samsung would base their devices on AOSP, but Google pays them too much to not have their "services" baked in. I much prefer FOSS options like LibreOffice.

[PSmitty]

No it's a valid point, if I could do local backups of my device without having to plug it into a computer that would be awesome too

[SamWitwicky217]

I'm not well versed in FOSS cloud storage, but I believe there are a couple options. Inrenxt is one, but from a cursory search it appears their Android experience needs improvement. Might be worthwhile to see what's out there, though.

[realaud]

You can do it without plugging into a computer. You will need a USB-C flash drive or flash drive with a USB-C adapter with at least the capacity of your phone, or a USB-C card reader and SD card.  You can then use Smart Switch to backup either your entire phone or selected files.  No cloud or computer involved.

[PSmitty]

Yes, thank you, I should have been more clear, I meant scheduled local backups through a local network, not by physically plugging in a device

[LongHiker]

@PSmitty I have a Synergy NAS on my network. They provide many apps for downloading and backing up information from your phone. It can all be done via Wifi or cellular. 

[Smithint]

Don't use OneDrive or copilot. Microsoft office is what I use and sometimes Google Docs, but Microsoft is my go to.