The Google Pack - does it just work?
Google has released a pack of several tools which they feel make your computer "just work". Looking at the tools, I really only see one product that I really see as necessary or better than alternatives offered by Microsoft. I have to admit my love for the free photo library application Picassa. I've not found anything else as cleverly intuitive as this mighty image organizer. I really like the user interface and the feature set is impressive - clean up your photos and submit them for printing via some online photo printing services. Nicely done.
The rest of the tools, however, aren't worth installing in my opinion. Google Earth is fun to play with, but far too processor and video power hungry for a simple mapping app. Plus, I prefer the MSN Maps method of giving you alternative road directions (quickest vs shortest) and alternative graphics styles (the line drawing vs the map).
Google Desktop was so annoying with its CPU utilization on my machine that I had to uninstall it. It kept trying to index my disk and there is no way to shut it off. I didn't find it any less effective than the Microsoft Windows Desktop, but I like that with the Windows Desktop I can snooze the indexing for an hour. Google's Sidebar looks to me like an attempt to get the Longhorn Sidebar working before Microsoft does, but again, both took up frustratingly large areas of screen real estate for little actual return.
Google's toolbar is nice, with popup blocking and form fill, but the MSN toolbar does this stuff too. The only real difference I can find between the toolbars is that Google's can translate webpages instantly while MSN's include's a phishing alert. I prefer the anti-phishing warnings to the rare times I need to translate a foreign language.
The other apps included with the Google Pack include an anti-virus program (Norton for 6 months), an anti-spyware program (Ad-Aware), a PDF reader (is there anyone else aside from Adobe), and an Internet browser (Firefox). I'm wondering if these partnerships could indicate Google positioning itself for the introduction of a Google machine. It looks to me like it's trying to turn itself into a single source for common PC solutions. This expansion of it's brand might signal a shift in the focus of the search giant from an online services company to a true competitor to Microsoft. Honestly, I hope so. The added competition might be just the kick in the rear that Microsoft needs to bring us some of the truly revolutionary next-gen operating system features they've been hinting at (and holding back) for years with Longhorn.
-- Matt Ranlett
PS - I still like the name Longhorn better than Vista!