Google Pack: BETA and Better

By Descy, Don E

I have a Mac. This column is about Google Pack (Beta), which is only available for Windows. If you only work with and/or teach with Macs (and you don’t want to broaden your knowledge) you might think that you could skip this column … or you might want to read it, become incensed, and complain to Google that the Google Pack should be available for OSX! Still, while Google Pack is only available for Windows, most of the individual applications are available for the Mac platform.

Google Pack is a package of software applications downloadable from the Google site. (The URL is really long, so go to http:// www.google.com/ intl/en/options/ and click on Google Pack from there.) This software package is very easy to download and install, and easy to customize to your specific needs. It adds to the safety and enjoyment of your computer, and it is also easy to update when the need arises. The package contains five pieces of Google Software (Google Desktop, Picasa, Google Toolbar, Google Earth and Google Pack Screensaver). It also contains four other pieces of very handy non-Google software (Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar, Norton Antivirus Special Edition, Ad-Aware SE Personal and Adobe Reader 7) and four pieces of “Optional Software” (Google Talk, RealPlayer, Google Video Player and GalleryPlayer HD Images). Wow, that is a lot of software!

This is a beta package from Google but, unlike many beta versions, Google betas usually require very little revision. Sometimes they seem to leave programs on beta for a long time. (I believe that my Gmail account is still listed as “beta.”)

Let’s take a look at the Google Pack.

Google Desktop: (http://desktop. google.com/features.html) Google Desktop places all of the information on your computer and on the web at your fingertips. You never have to manually search your computer for that lost file, photo, Gmail message or web page that you previously viewed. If you are really lazy, the Google Desktop even frees you from manually organizing web pages, files, emails – even your bookmarks. If you need to find something, Google Desktop does it for you. But, that is not all. The Sidebar feature automatically shows your new email, RSS/Atom feeds, weather, stock information and so on. Everything is automatic (which, again, allows that laziness to creep in). Another neat feature is called Google Gadgets. These are interactive mini-applications from search tools and weather and games to TV, a calendar and a WiFi indicator neatly displayed in little windows on the desktop. This is the stuff that Microsoft forgot.

Mac users have something similar called Dashboard Widgets (http:/ / www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard). These little windows can be placed on the screen and contain everything from a radio tuner, to weather to video feeds from Kennedy Space Center.

Picasa: (http://picasa.google.com) Picasa is a neat little software application that helps you find in an instant, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Picasa locates all the pictures on your PC and sorts them into visual albums organized into folders by date. You can drag and drop images and folders, make labels and create new groups of images and folders. You can even password protect everything. Picasa also contains 12 general image fixes including redeye, cropping, contrast, color and fill light. Simple, and easy to do. Sharing is easy with Picasa also. Just a click is all you need to print your photos, burn CDs, add your photos to email or even post your photos to your blog. This is another neat little program.

Google Toolbar: (http://toolbar. google.com) There are two versions of this Google Toolbar. One is for Internet Explorer and is available for Windows 2000/XP, and Windows 98/ ME; the other is for Firefox (which all Windows users should be using instead of IE) and works with Windows XP/2000 SP 3+, Mac OSX 10.2+ or Red Hat Linux 8.0+. The Google Toolbar contains an enhanced Google search box (of course) that has automatic spelling correction, history and bookmarks as you type and even gives you instant search suggestions. It also shows page rank and helps ESL users by automatically translating English words into Chinese (simplified and traditional), French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. There is autofill for forms and online shopping and auto spelling as you type in web forms. Another neat feature is “Google Safe Browsing.” It contains advanced algorithms and reports that alert you if a web page appears to ask financial and personal information “under false pretences” (a practice known as spoofing or phishing). It is designed to warn you if someone is trying to trick you into disclosing personal information. The “AutoLink” feature automatically creates links to online maps and automatically links with tracking numbers, publication ISBN numbers, VIN numbers and vehicle history. Sweet!

Google Earth: (http://earth. google.com) This is a cool new extension of Google maps (http://maps. google.com) and MapQuest. Both of these offer regular and satellite maps of most areas and also meld them into one regular/satellite map. Google Earth now adds 3D. You can search for hotels, parks, restaurants and schools and get driving directions to where you want to go – even fly in from space to your neighborhood. The really neat part of Google Earth is the ability to rotate and tilt the view to actually see terrain and buildings in 3D. Google Earth is also available for Mac and Windows. Two variations of Google Earth are also available: Google Earth Plus ($20) that is an optional upgrade to support GPS devices and allows the user to add drawing tools and import spreadsheets, and Google Earth Pro ($400) for commercial and professional use that adds presentation and collaboration tools and research.

Google Pack Screensaver: This is a great little program that allows you to turn your favorite photo into a screensaver. Photos you choose can be viewed either full screen or as a virtual collage. Just a few clicks and that is it. Times sure have changed.

Those are the main parts of the Google Pack. Other software is also included.

Monzilla Firefox with Google Toolbar: This comes with all of the features described above. Again, if you are a Windows user, you should also use Firefox as your Web browser and save your Internet Explorer just to access Microsoft for their monthly security updates.

Norton Antivirus: Everyone running Windows needs this to protect their PC from viruses, worms and Trojan horses. The download includes a 6-month subscription for updates and it is a great idea to renew the subscription after that.

Ad-Aware SE Personal: An antispyware utility that will safely detect and remove spyware. PC users should run this periodically and specifically after every time they use Internet Explorer. It also provides protection against aggressive advertising, dialers, malware, Trojan horses, data-mining, tracking and browser hijacking software.

Adobe Reader 7: We all need a PDF reader on our computers and this update is 50% faster than Adobe Reader 6.

Before you download Google Pack, check the free optional software you can include.

Google Talk: This is a neat little IM and voice application.

RealPlayer: A should-have program to allow you to play popular media formats and organize your videos and music. It also lets you transfer music from your PC to an iPod or other portable media player.

Google Video Player: This allows you to play videos that are downloaded and purchased through the Google Video website (http:// video.google. com).

GalleryPlayer HD Images: This is a collection of high-quality photos and artwork that you can use for many applications including desktops and screensavers.

The Google Pack and optional software is a great package containing many applications that will make your computer experience more fun and interesting. Most of the applications can be downloaded separately, are highly customizable, and unlike the Google Pack itself, are also available for a Macintosh computer. Until next time … hey, this is column number 70!

Copyright Association for Educational Communications & Technology Nov/Dec 2006

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