It's literally an extra camera and a "depth sensor" (which is likely itself just another type of camera). So no, the analog would be the camera you're already carrying around with you.

It's far more likely (if this catches on) that this will just be another sensor in your phone that apps can use, and if Google wants to improve maps or whatever, they'll just ask people to "contribute" scans, like they've gotten people to basically make street view for them[1].

[1] http://www.google.com/maps/about/contribute/photosphere/

That's nothing, they actually track store visits now to monetize ads. And if you opt out then a lot of things including Google Now stop working.

http://digiday.com/platforms/google-tracking/

I find it odd that stories like that don't get much exposure on HN unlike negative stories about Apple, Facebook, Microsoft etc.

See. This is the stuff that I don't like. While Tango is cool, self-driving cars are cool, and Google Fiber is needed, I feel like Google is only doing these things to collect data about me.

> I feel like Google is only doing these things to collect data about me.

They are. Selling ads is basically the only way Google makes money.

It'd be nice if they at least offered the option to pay $X/year to use Google services without tracking. But I think that would be unlikely, because it would highlight the value of the data many people give away freely.