Sherpa Is Classic Google: Creepy

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Sherpa is Google and T-Mobile's big bragging feature on it's updated Android phone due out later this summer.

I wonder if it is something to be excited about or creeped out about?

Sherpa is a built-in app designed to take in all your user preferences and current location and guide you to other things you like based on those preferences.

So, for example, if you use your phone a lot to look up movie times; plan on getting steered to more movie times and even suggested titles if you've been purchasing your tickets via phone.

This is sooooooo Google.

Everytime I access my Gmail account, I notice that the ads on the right side of the screen mysteriously tie-in to what I'm writing as I compose a note to a friend or colleague. This feels like a huge invasion of my privacy.

If I'm writing about my kids; toy ads tend to pop-up, for example. Some may find that helpful. I feel like Big Brother is watching me. It also makes me feel stereotyped and pigeon-holed. I know that to marketeers, I'm just a demographic that needs to be identified, categorized and targeted. But, uh, actually I am a person and it's not that simple. Just because I'm writing about my kids, doesn't mean that I want to buy a toy for them at the moment.

Sherpa sounds like Big Brother to go.

Whatever happened to "Don't be evil." as Google's corporate mantra?

Renee Oricchio

Renee Oricchio is a technology writer and former supervising news producer for CNN Financial News. She has been covering the computer industry since 1987. @oricchio