New to Smart Phones - How is Google Goggles?

[Aflaaaak]

Just picked up a new LG L4, coming from a Samsung flip phone. The gazillion choices of apps to do various things makes my head spin! I want a useful app for XYZ, but don't want a total spy on my phone accessing things I don't feel it needs, but sometimes I don't know what I should worry about and what not to.

In looking for a barcode scanner, I ran across Google Goggles, which looks like a handy app for a lot of other things besides just a barcode reader. Is it (still) a good app? Is it too intrusive about collecting my phones info, or is it par for the course if you want the kind of features it offers?
Thanks!

 

[PapaGary]

Apps on the Play Store will show "Permissions". Those listed for Google Goggles are:

Google Goggles Version 1.9.4 can access:

Location

approximate location (network-based)
precise location (GPS and network-based)

Photos/Media/Files

modify or delete the contents of your USB storage
read the contents of your USB storage

Camera

take pictures and videos

Wi-Fi connection information

view Wi-Fi connections

Other

full network access
view network connections
control vibration
run at startup

Updates to Google Goggles may automatically add additional capabilities within each group

 

[Alex Cronin]

Permissions are needed for all apps and they are not just taken your info for no reason its because having access to this info is what makes the app good to each individual person

 

[Alex Cronin]

So i wouldn't worry. If goggles sounds useful to you then install it

 

[Aflaaaak]

Permissions are needed for all apps and they are not just taken your info for no reason its because having access to this info is what makes the app good to each individual person

That's what I figured, but didn't know if some overreach...assume permission can be set for only when the app is actively being used, so it's not phoning home in the background all the time?

 

[Aflaaaak]

Apps on the Play Store will show "Permissions". Those listed for Google Goggles are:

Seems like almost every app on says "modify or delete contents of your USB storage", or something else I never would have thought they needed to do. Does the Android OS allow removing apps from running at start up? I looked into Application Manager. There was Launch by Default, with No Defaults Set shown for the few I looked at.

The paranoid side of me is shocked at the amount of data all these apps collect (and store?) that seem irrelevant to the app's purpose. Quite the Metadata library out there somewhere!

 

[PapaGary]

The paranoid side of me is shocked at the amount of data all these apps collect (and store?) that seem irrelevant to the app's purpose. Quite the Metadata library out there somewhere!

Meh. Welcome to the online world.

 

[Aflaaaak]

Meh. Welcome to the online world.

I know, I gotta get over it . In looking at a few barcode scanner apps, I noticed the paid version of the app I wanted was much higher rated (duh), and believe had fewer permission requirements than other free apps. Guess ya gotta pay to play!