Google Pack beta 2.2.940.34809

Publisher's description of Google Pack beta

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Google Pack is a free collection of software from Google and other companies. The software in the Google Pack helps you browse the Web faster, remove spyware and viruses, or organize your photos.

Google Pack also takes the hassle out of downloading, installing, and updating software. You can download and install the entire Google Pack in just a few clicks. And the included Google Updater helps you discover new programs and keep your current software up to date. The latest of version of Google Pack adds Sun Microsystems' office suite StarOffice.

Note: The Download Now link will download a small installer file to your desktop. Remain online and double-click the installer to proceed with the actual download.

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Editor's review of Google Pack beta

Google Pack is another useful idea from those nearly ubiquitous, ever-industrious Google folks. The Pack takes a bunch of disparate but essential programs, tosses in the entirety of the Google program suite, then loads and automatically updates all of them as future changes are made. A pre-installation checklist lets users opt in or out, and the program is flexible enough to allow users to change their choices easily after installation.

Chatware manager Trillian has been nixed. But Mozilla's Firefox is in and it comes with the Google Toolbar add-on pre-installed. There's also a six-month subscription to Norton's Security Scan, Skype, RealPlayer, Ad-Aware, Adobe Reader, Spyware Doctor Starter Edition, and the recently-added StarOffice, a suite of word processing and spreadsheet tools. The included Google apps include Earth, Desktop, Talk, Picasa, and the Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer.

It's encouraging to see a range of programs being offered, from Web surfing to malware blocking to PDFs and audio and video tools. Still, it would be nice to see Google Pack, which is a not-so-subtle Googlification of the Microsoft Windows Updater, cover a wider range of applications. Shockwave and Flash would be good places to start, as would QuickTime or a good, freeware FTP program.

User reviews of Google Pack beta

• Average user rating: out of 28 votes
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  Google Pack beta

  Installed it for one reason only.

  by: Chainmail2006 on 16-Apr-2008 11:24:39 AM

  Pros: To beef up the Security on my new PC. (It's a dell XPS with good hardware running two drives, one with Vista Ultimate, the other with XP Pro SP2). Even though I ordered it with no security software, they slipped and it came with 15 months of McAfee. I added Google Pack to get Norton Security Scan. Now, don't get me wrong, McAfee has improved in every way over what it was in 2006, (the last time I used it). Some of Google Packs apps were already installed but i didn't want to kill McAfee because I use Norton Ghost in and with the other suites I like, Ghost can't recover the Firewall driver where it can, McAfees.

  To beef up McAfee, I added Spy Sweeper (Vista Version), Spy Emergency 2007, Norton Anti-Bot and Norton Security Scan thru Google Pack. Don't believe Joyce's whining. It is a paltry 6.22 MB, scanned every file on every drive attached to the PC, including the Ghost Clones and the Maxtor backups and it's rated 5 percentage points higher then McAfee at AV comparatives. It also detected and hammered 11 threats McAfee overlooked, all legit, all traced each to the location clearly spelled out by Norton. Now, I'm comfortable with McAfee and think my somewhat questionable web habits are safe.

  Cons: Here, at Download, the description states Windows XP. So, I checked Softpedia and their version clearly says XP / Vista. Thats where I downloaded the Google updater for Google Pack and it's all good.

  Was this review helpful? Yes | No (4 of 7 users said yes)

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  Google Pack beta

  Didn't choose the best software.

  by: JoyceNgo on 31-Dec-2007 04:35:29 PM

  Pros: I really love Google and the material they provide me for free (gmail, search engine, etc)

  Cons: I don't really like the products they chose in this pack. Although Google chose necessary security and popular programs that are needed, I don't think they chose the proper ones (instead chose the "name branded" ones. For many reasons. First, Norton Security Scan; for my life, I've had Norton preinstalled with every computer I bought, and the programs Norton have made are very large, heavy on resources and disk space, and constantly nags you about everything (even the interface is slow!) Scans are slow also. Adobe Reader is also not my favorite. This PDF reader is also pretty big and constantly asks for updates that are mostly not necessary. Adobe Reader is also very heavy on resources and doesn't open PDFs as fast as FoxIt Reader.

  I also never found Spyware Doctor efficient with its spyware scanning. Bad enough the actual version is buggy, slow, inaccurate, and also heavy on resources, I doubt the Starter Edition will do any better. Hate to say this but Ad-Aware 2007 would have been a better choice although it's also very slow, and bloated. However, I am glad Google created this package software for people to use.

  Was this review helpful? Yes | No (10 of 12 users said yes)

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  Google Pack beta

  with out norton it would be better

  by: super61 on 08-Jun-2008 09:06:40 PM

  Was this review helpful? Yes | No (7 of 8 users said yes)

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  Google Pack beta

  GET ID (PART OF PACK)

  by: Redduncash on 26-Jun-2008 03:46:02 PM

  Cons: GET ID from the google pack (not sure if it was beta or regular version) hosts a NASTY TROJAN and Avast & A-Squared confirmed it. I don't download anything from google now.

  Was this review helpful? Yes | No (2 of 2 users said yes)

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  Google Pack beta

  Great thats all I have to say!

  by: bea123 on 02-Oct-2007 05:31:08 PM

  Pros: I like the way it updates my programs,well thats one less thing I have to do. The programs they give you are very good ones also. But like ankur_gupta555 said,it would be nice to have wallpaper for microsoft windows and their own skins and themes. But other then that it is a great program. An all in one download program,which updates itself...cool

  Was this review helpful? Yes | No (4 of 6 users said yes)

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