Las Vegas, Nevada - ( Website Hosting Directory ) - January 9, 2006 - Search engine leader, Google Inc., has launched Google Pack beta, a free collection of software from Google and other companies that looks to move Google into tighter competition with Microsoft.
Google claims that with just a few clicks, users can easily discover, install and maintain software to surf the web faster and safer, communicate better, and effectively manage information with Google Pack.
According to Marissa Mayer, Vice President of Search Products and User Experience at Google, ''We've heard from countless new computer owners that it can take days or weeks to install all the software they need to make their computer useful. We developed Google Pack to give users a way to painlessly install all the essential software they need - pre-configured in a sensible way - in a matter of minutes. Better yet, users don't have to keep track of software updates or new programs - we maintain and update all the software for them.''
Google Pack includes the following programs:
- Adobe Reader 7
- Ad-Aware SE Personal
- GalleryPlayer HD Images
- Google Desktop
- Google Earth
- Google Pack Screensaver
- Google Talk
- Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer
- Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar
- Norton AntiVirus 2005 Special Edition
- Picasa
- RealPlayer
- Trillian
Google Pack also includes Google Updater, a new tool that intelligently downloads, installs and maintains all the software in the Google Pack. Google Updater alerts users when updates and new programs become available and ensures each program is always up-to-date. Google Updater can also be used to monitor the status of installation, run software that's been installed, or easily uninstall software.
Since the program will also allow users to select which programs they want to install, it is certainly possible for Google to 'suggest' software that is 'Google-approved'. Further, for programs already installed on a computer (which certainly means many Microsoft products), Google Updater checks whether the latest version is running. If not, Google Updater will install the latest version. It isn't a stretch to imagine that Google could again suggest an 'update' that is more Google-centric than Microsoft-centric.
Google Pack beta is currently available in English, runs on Windows XP, and supports Firefox 1.0 and higher and Internet Explorer 6.0 and higher.
To learn more about Google Pack, please visit: http://pack.google.com .
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