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Google Pack
In related news Google will also take the wraps off of "Google Pack," a bundle of applications that will be made available for download in a single installation bundle. Sources tell us that Google pack will feature a Google-tweaked version of Firefox, Adobe Acrobat Reader, antivirus software from Symantec, AdAware, Trillian, and Google's own offerings, including Google Desktop Search, Picasa, Google Earth, Google Talk, and all of the toolbar action you can shake a stick at. Oh, and I left out one other item: the RealPlayer.

That's right. Google will be distributing RealNetwork's RealPlayer. The timing of the announcement leaves us to wonder if RealPlayer and its DRM solution haven't been chosen as Google's commercial video sales format, but it's hard to imagine Google making such a blunder. RealPlayer could be described as significantly unpopular among savvy users, with few of us even having it installed on our systems. Furthermore, the RealPlayer suffers from less penetration than either iTunes or Windows Media Player, giving it the feeling of a third wheel.

Google Pack also sports some other oddities. For instance, bundling Trillian might seem strange considering that Google is working hard to promote its own instant messaging client. On the other hand, Trillian is an early attempt at service federation through an application (that is, it allows you to tie multiple networks together with one application, almost bridging the IM gap), and Google may see it as a way to reduce the installation base of MSN/Windows Messenger and AIM.

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