Well, on Android devices Google's spying-by-default settings eat your battery. To maximize battery life, you have to dig through all the crapware, Google's included, to disable automatic check-ins. Once this is done, and subject to some other variables, I have my N7 down to about 0.5% battery drain per hour when it is turned "off." As a result I can usually pick it up and go flying without worrying even if it hasn't been charged for a couple of days.
Re the spying, I see it as a business deal. Google is fairly clear about what they do (I think), so when I use a Google tool my cost for that tool is some privacy. Hence, I use gmail on a very limited basis and don't use any of their location-based stuff. I have also set my Google profile as restrictively as I can.
