Only in a few European countries for the moment

Jan 19, 2010 13:29 GMT  ·  By

Google has updated the list of programs it offers users in its Google Pack bundle in several countries and now features the free Avast antivirus software replacing the older security software included. The move was rather predictable as Avast has been offering to install Google Chrome along with the antivirus program for about a month now. The new Google Pack bundle is only available in several countries for now, but it will probably extend to more soon enough.

One surefire way of getting your software into as many computers as possible is to bundle it with other popular software. This practice is becoming increasingly popular to the point where it's almost impossible to find something that doesn't shove, that is to say, offer all manner of useless programs which most often than not have nothing to do with what you're installing. It's so effective, though, that it isn't going anywhere and Google is no stranger to bundling software.

Most tech-savvy folks have at least heard of Google Chrome even if they haven't tried it themselves. And, judging by its growing market share, a lot of them are testing it or using it on a daily basis these days. But regular users, which most of the time don't even know what a web browser is, are unlikely to get Chrome on their own accord so Google has to try out any means to get its browser on people's computers. One obvious way is by having an all-out advertising campaign but an even more effective one is to offer it with another popular piece of software, say, a free antivirus for example.

It's obvious that Google and Avast's parent company have come to some sort of agreement and with Google's latest move, it's also clear that it involved a sort of 'quid pro quo', Avast offers Chrome and now Google Pack offers Avast. In all fairness, it's a much better option than either Norton Security Scan or the Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus it currently offers in most countries. "As we get ready to launch our new Avast! Free Antivirus Version 5, we are proud to announce that Google has chosen this product for inclusion in Google Pack. Google Pack is a package of free software that Google assembles and distributes to its users around the world. Google Pack includes Avast for the following languages: French, German, Italian, Czech, Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, and Polish," Avast writes on its blog.

The latest versions of Google Chrome are available for download here. Avast Home Edition is available for download here.