Sunday, April 29, 2007

The Google pack provides a single installer for many essential PC applications from Google and their trusted partners.

Software Included in the Google Pack are as follows:

Google Earth - 3D Earth browser
  • Zoom from space to street level — tour the world
  • Find maps, driving directions, hotels, restaurants, and more
Google Desktop - Desktop companion
  • Find all your email, files, web history, and more
  • Get all your personalized info in one place with Sidebar
Picasa - Photo organizer
  • Find, edit, and share your photos in seconds
  • Easily remove red eye and fix photos
Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer -
  • Search from any web page and autofill forms
  • Block annoying pop-ups
Google Photos Screensaver - Photo screensaver
  • Display photos from your PC and photo sharing sites
  • Watch cinematic slideshows
Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar - Web browser
Mozilla Corporation
  • Browse the web quickly and securely
  • Switch between pages quickly with tabbed browsing
Adobe Reader - PDF reader
Adobe Systems
  • View, print, and search PDF files via a redesigned interface
  • Secure your documents and collaborate via online, real-time meetings
Norton Security Scan - Security utility
Symantec
  • Detects and eliminates viruses and internet worms
  • Free detection updates and scheduled scanning
Spyware Doctor Starter Edition - Antispyware utility
PC Tools
  • Detects and removes spyware, adware, trojans and keyloggers
  • Includes Smart Updates and scheduling to protect your PC
Google Talk - Voice and IM application
  • Connect with your friends via IM or free voice calls
  • Send and receive files and voice messages easily and quickly
Google Video Player - Video player
  • Play videos purchased and downloaded through the Google Video website
RealPlayer - Media player
  • Play popular media formats, organize music and videos
  • Transfer music to iPod and other portable media players
GalleryPlayer HD Images - Images
  • High-quality artwork and photos
  • Perfect for your screensaver or desktop
Skype - Voice, video and chat
  • Make free voice and video calls to anyone else on Skype
  • Call landlines and mobile phones at pretty low rates
Your download is fully customizable and you are give the option to chose which components to include in your download pack. One would think that it would be reasonable that Google charge a fee for the above downloads but unbelievably the Gooers aren't charging a dime for the Google Pack inclusive of all of the above software.

Firefox 2 - A Brief Overview

Mozilla's Firefox web browser is now faster, more secure, and more customizable than ever before. With Firefox 2, we’ve added powerful new features that make your online experience even better.

Firefox will open new web pages in tabs by default. Each of those tabs has its own close button, but don’t worry - if you accidentally close a tab, just go to the History menu to bring it back from the list of “Recently Closed Tabs.” You’ll never be crunched for space anymore, either. When you have too many tabs open to comfortably fit in a single window, scroll arrows will appear on either side, and a button on the right side will always show you an easy-to-read list of all your open tabs

Sometimes you’re in a rush, and can’t remember if it’s “i” before “e” or the other way around. Firefox 2 has built-in spell checking to keep you from making any mistakes in your blog posts and Web-based email, so you can worry about more important things.

Some of the search engines in Firefox 2 can read your mind, and actually suggest search terms for what you’re looking for. Just start typing into the Search bar, and a drop down list of suggestions will appear. (Works for Google, Yahoo! and Answers.com.)

Losing your place while you’re doing things on the Web is a pain. Now, with Session Restore, if Firefox has to restart or closes when it comes back you’ll pick up exactly where you left off. The windows and tabs you were using, the text you typed into forms, and the in-progress downloads you had running will all be restored. You can even set Firefox 2 to always restore your previous session instead of loading a home page, so you’ll never lose your place again.

What do news headlines, indie rock podcasts, and pictures of kittens have in common? They’re all things that you can subscribe to with Web feeds. Firefox 2 gives you full control over Web feeds, showing you a preview and letting you choose how you want to subscribe. You can use a Firefox Live Bookmark, or a feed reader that you’ve installed on your computer, or through a Web service such as My Yahoo!, Bloglines or Google Reader.

Phishing protection helps safeguard your financial information and protect you from identity theft. If you enter a suspicious site, Firefox will warn you and offer to take you to a search page so that you may find the web site you are looking for.

A host of other security and personalization tools make Mozilla's Firefox the preferred platform for web surfing for millions of users across the globe.