Getting Android apps -- is Google account obligatory?

[GJD]

Hello, and thanks in advance for any advice!

My cheap SIM-only deal is coming to an end and I'm about to give up the ancient Nokia and get an Android phone (Samsung Galaxy SIII -- very cheap at £17 a month on an upgrade with Carphone warehouse. Just £4 a month more than what my SIM-only deal is changing to this week).

I am slightly disconcerted to see at first glance that you need to have a Google account to get Android apps. There are only a handful that I will need (e.g. BT and O2 wifi apps, selection of browsers, maps etc).

Is it possible to create a one-off Google account just for this purpose and then "unlink" it from the phone and properly sign out of the account? I don't want to be connected to Google 24-hours and all my browsing info to go via said Google.

Sorry to sound all paranoid but I'm not keen on the idea of being tracked by Google everywhere I go (both walking and browsing!).

By the way, the reason I kept the old Nokia for years was because of the availability of retractable headsets. I've since discovered these today which could just bring me into the 21st century, phone-wise:

http://skylabsproducts.com/miniwinder/

I'm unable to use a phone against my head (if I do it farks up my head for the rest of the day, really) but retractable wired headsets are the way I've found around the issue. I've never met anyone in person with the same problem but posted that product link here if by any chance anyone else also has this issue.

OK, I digress. Thanks again for any advice!

[MI5]

Yes, you need a Google account and you can't delete it once you've used it (It's the backbone of the phone), but, you can switch off all the syncs and tracking - That part is still optional.

[GJD]

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@MI5 wrote:
Yes, you need a Google account and you can't delete it once you've used it (It's the backbone of the phone), but, you can switch off all the syncs and tracking - That part is still optional.

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Ah, great, thanks. Just what I was wondering about. Wondering though if you could elaborate a little bit about it being the backbone of the phone. I'm not sure what that implies ...

Thanks again.

[MI5]

Android is Google designed software so they design everything to work around a Google account.
You'll see when you start using the phone how much it integrates (or can integrate) with Google applications....

[MI5]

Details of all Google applications for Android

Google - Android

[Bambino · Accepted solution]

Once you start using the phone you'll be surprised at how many apps besides O2 and BT WiFi will come in handy. There are tens of thousands to try, and if you don't like one, or don't find it useful, you can just delete it. The joy is that many really good apps are absolutely free. 

[GJD]

I must admit, I've not entirely understood the point of apps, as someone who hasn't used them yet.
For example, on my desktop or laptop or existing little Symbian phone, if I want to check the weather, I don't need to install an app for that -- I just click a bookmark! Same with absolutely everything else apart from Photoshop, Illustrator etc. -- i.e. a website bookmark. Even something like (basic) office software is accessible directly on a website, e.g. MS Office Excel, PowerPoint, Word etc. accessible via Hotmail/SkyDrive.
So yes, I've found the plethora of apps for things that are otherwise accessible via a browser on a PC or Mac laptop a bit puzzling. I have asked myself why do you need a separate memory/diskspace-guzzling program for everything?
Obviously other programs for automated/simplified wifi connections and stuff are a bit different, and I'm sure I'll start to make more sense of the whole app thing when I get the phone.

I may have been a bit hasty in signing up to this phone, and it's done now, but I'm wondering if it seems like a good deal. My current sim-only deal is going up from £10 to £13 (woo, bank-breaker!) this week as the 12-month contract ends.

[currently 300 any network mins, 500 O2 mins, unlimited texts, 100MB data).

I'll be tied in to a 24-month contract with the Galaxy S III (although I've been with O2 for 5 years and don't plan to move). It'll be £17 with 300 mins, unlimited texts and 500MB. Before clicking "Confirm", I went through a year of bills, and my average total minutes per month is only 130, and the max was 262.

I also managed to blag 2800 Virgin Airmiles.

It seems like a very good deal from what I can tell though. Essentially £4 a month for 24 months for a new Samsung Galaxy SIII -- so the phone is costing £96 with payment spread over two years.

Thanks very much to you both for the very knowledgable advice here. It's much appreciated.

[Bambino]

You're welcome. Personally, I think 24 months is way too long to sign a contract for, but you've done it now. Come back to the forum if you have any questions once you get the phone. There are a couple of very clever people here who will be able to help you with pretty much all you'll need to know about that particular phone. Good luck.