In a partnership with Symantec and PC Tools, Google have added Norton Security Scan anti-virus software and PC Tools' own Spyware Utility - Spyware Doctor Starter Edition - to its Google Pack suite of applications. Both of these updates are entirely free and include automatic updates without a subscription.
Symantec Norton Security Scan is effectively a basic level anti-virus protection tool from one of the world's most respected anti-virus companies. Combined with the PC Tools anti-spyware and anti-malware software, it is clear that Google are aiming to entice new users to adopt its suite of bespoke software and to provide a complete, up-to-date maintenance solution for PC users.
The two new updates join a raft of other popular Google innovation applications, including Google Earth 3D browser, Picasa photo organiser software, Google Toolbar search tool and Google Desktop, which allows Google search-like functionality on your desktop. A partnership with external companies is not unusual for Google and certainly not for their Google Pack suite, which already contains Adobe Reader and the option to include additional third-party software from the likes of RealPlayer and Skype.
Other updates to Google pack include a new, improved screensaver. With this update, it is now possible to turn your PC into a digital photo frame that holds photos from your own collection, as well as from any popular photo sharing sites like Flickr and Picasa.
Originally introduced in early 2006 the Google Pack suite was designed to collate free software from Google and its associates, a one package download that allows the average user to browse the web faster, organise and share photos and integrate popular Google services into market leading browsers. Google Pack also includes Google Updater, which assists in the downloading, installation and updating of all programs within the suite, making the entire package easy to manage and maintain.
Google Pack is available in twelve different languages and runs on Windows XP and Vista, supporting Internet Explorer 6 as well as Firefox 1.0 and higher.
