I didn't make it to CES. I'm bummed about that for a number of reasons (although I can't say I feel too deprived at missing the $18 hot dogs, endless taxi lines, and sardine can crush). Sitting on the sidelines, I've been able to take it all in courtesy of the crew from Engadget and my Tablet PC buddies JK and Rob.

The big buzz all week was about what Google would or would not be announcing. True to their word, they did not mention a Google PC (except to repeatedly deny any interest in building such a beast) and flatly denied interest in a Google OS when asked directly by Weblogs, Inc.s Jason Calacanis after the keynote. Instead, they fired the expected shot across the bow at iTunes and other purveyors of downloadable video, announcing some interesting partnerships with CBS and the NBA.

The other announcement was Google Pack - a collection of Google's software applications augmented by a curious selection of third-party products that Google wants to download, install, and monitor en masse on your PC. I have to agree with Joe Wikert of Wiley who points out that in the book publishing world this is called shovelware. Some folks in the Tablet PC world are even less charitable and call it crapware.

Google Pack includes:

• Adobe Reader 7
• Ad-Aware SE Personal
• GalleryPlayer HD Images
• Google Desktop
• Google Earth
• Google Pack Screensaver
• Google Picasa Photo Organizer/Editor
• Google Talk
• Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer
• Google Video player
• Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar
• Norton AntiVirus 2005 Special Edition
• RealPlayer
• Trillian

According to Danny Sullivan at SearchEngineWatch, the impetus behind this was the pain Larry and Sergey themselves experienced when setting up new PCs, having to click through countless screens of wizards, EULAs, and confirmations. Yes, it can be time-consuming to set up a new PC but I'm not buying into this assortment nor am I interested in having Google scan, probe, and poke around my system. There's a fine line between being helpful and being intrusive and Google Pack steps over it in my opinion. The Google Updater, the glue that binds this collection, is essentially a back door into my PC for Google to inventory and manage my software.



In theory, you get to choose what's installed and what's not. But apparently in practice, this doesn't quite play out. Norton, the worst selection in this package, apparently is installed by default, forcing you to then remove it from your system. Anyone who's wrestled with the mess this product leaves behind will probably have the same reaction I did - ummm... no thanks.

Not only that, it's a trial subscription, similar to what comes pre-installed on many systems today. After the trial, you have to pay and pray - pray that you won't get hosed when the next version of Norton is released. The tales of Norton upgrade and subscription woes you can find easily enough by Googling the product name are enough to convince most people to stay far away from this product.

Firefox? Got it thanks. Ad-Aware? Ditto. Acrobat Reader? I use Acrobat Pro and absolutely do not want or need the Reader program installed.

I suppose a novice user with a shiny new PC might find this useful. Personally, I'd rather configure my family and friend's machines myself. Will Google grab some desktop real estate with Google Pack. Oh yes, I think they will. Is this, as a few wags have opined, a Trojan Horse? In many ways I believe it is.