14 DAY TRIAL // Google Pack is a collection of free software that includes several utilities such as browsers, instant messaging clients, antivirus tools and search tools. Today, the homepage of the software suite was updated, offering a fresh new interface that provides instant access to the applications included in the pack. Also, the website redirects you to a Mac version of the pack if you're browsing the Internet from an Apple system. Philipp Lenssen from Google Blogoscoped said that Google Pack recorded no less than 600 million downloads in 2006.
"In 2006, according to internal Google documents, Pack was installed 60 million times around the globe, though Google made it one of their goals to increase deployment especially for "novice users." Even with the recent homepage change, Google Pack might remain one of the more controversial Google programs... last not least for its inclusion of Real Player, which in the past was known to behave spy-warish," he said.
All the applications included in the pack are offered as freeware but some of them include Google utilities that are making them even more attractive. Take the example of Mozilla Firefox, the popular browser that is often described as the best alternative for the old-fashioned Internet Explorer. It comes with the Google Toolbar, a nice browser add-on developed by the Mountain View company that enhances the security of the application and offers instant access to several Google products.
"You can use the Toolbar to perform a Google search from any site on the web, or to search for specific words on any given page. In addition, the latest version of the Google Toolbar offers users exciting features like the Popup Blocker. Popups, windows that automatically open when you visit a website, can be annoying when you're surfing the web. The Popup Blocker prohibits these windows from opening on your computer," the search giant says about its tool.