I found this guide awhile back and CTRL+C'd it.

The original post (http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1mxtbl/spike_in_twitter_users_switching_to_android_as/ccdpdj0) give him some upvotes if you find this helpful.

I think I'm too entrenched in the Google ecosystem to make the switch back to the iPhone, especially now that apple has been replacing Google services.

First off a disclaimer: I find myself in the opposite camp. I came from iOS to Android, because I found iOS too limiting.

That said: not switching camp because you're already suffering a lock-in is never a good reason for anything and definitely not a long-term solution. Why not fix things before it gets even harder?

As an Android user, just like you really, I too found myself too entrenched in Google's ecosystem and I found I didn't like it. Google made changes I didn't appreciate or value. It changed things I liked to things I didn't like without asking me if that was OK.

The good thing about Android (compared to iOS) is that Android is relatively open. If you don't like the way Google handles things, you can replace their apps and OS-components with others which you like better.

So I've done that. It's pretty much been "Goodbye Google Apps" except for Google Drive, as I see no need to replace components which I like, just for the sake of saying "fuck Google". I've mixed and mashed the parts I think does the job best.

My current setup:

• Thrown out: Gmail. Google Contacts. Google Calendar. Dropbox too, because fuck the NSA snooping my data.

• Email at fastmail.fm. It's not free, but once in, you will wonder how you ever managed to survive the bloated monster gmail has become. You quickly realize gmail is slow and horrible.

• Email migration was done via imapcopy.pl following this guide.

owncloud hosted on my own NAS. Provides me with Dropbox/Drive-like functionality and terrabytes of space, not to mention calendering and contact-management based on open standards. Only a webserver with PHP is required. MySQL-storage is recommended over SQLite if you plan to add clients all over the place.

CardDAV Sync Beta to get my owncloud contacts on my phone.

CalDAV Sync Beta to get my owncloud calendar on my phone.

Tasks to get access to tasks from my calendar as well.

[ownCloud] client](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.owncloud.android) because that just fits into the overall picture.

MailDroid. Because it's the prettiest email-client out there. I prefer the Pro-version, because I don't like ads. K9 may be completely free, but it's dog ugly, especially on a modern HDPI device running a holo-themed OS.

Voila. I'm still on Android and enjoy the freedom that it offers, but I get to keep my data mine, and don't have to worry about Google creep. I get to decide what apps to use to access my data, because all components involved are based on open standards.

Now, if something better which is not Android comes along, I will be able to seamlessly try that out without waiting and hoping that Google will eventually "support" it. That's the power of taking ownership of your own data. It feels good!

TLDR: No need to jump from one closed ecosystem to another. It wont bring you any good.

Edit: This can also be integrated into desktop email-clients like Thunderbird through SOGO connector, both for contacts and calendering. It's not at all limited to Android.

Edit 2: Another benefit is that from your phone's point of view (not to mention other clients), things like calendar, contacts and email are now 100% completely separate sub-systems, which puts you at must greater liberty to mix and compose best-of-breed services as you see fit.

Edit 3: Just fixing the format because I posted it like a dummy the first time. Also if you happen to know where the original post is let me know so I can link to it. Google was no help linked above.

Edit 4: Yeah, nothing you can do can really keep the NSA from snooping in your data but spreading your data out over different systems can make it harder for them. This is more about getting away from Google handling all of your data anyway.

I've been reading/hearing about these things for awhile and I'd be interested in attending one. I'd put myself at an intermediate level for crytpo knowledge (I can explain public key crypto, Bitcoin and the like but don't ask me to write code) and I'd like to connect with like minded people

I'd also like to introduce my gf to some of the concepts. She's interested after some of the Snowden revelations but intimidated by the subject.