In a further challenge to Microsoft, Google has announced the addition of Sun's StarOffice software to its 'Google Pack' - a downloadable package of free software products produced by Google or other partners.

The StarOffice package usually retails for around US$70 but is not available for free as part of the Google Pack downloads. It provides word processing, spreadsheets and presentation software which is compatible with Microsoft's popular Office software and performs all the main functions that most users would need, plus there is an automatic PDF export function. Google offers their own word processing and spreadsheet products although these are online services and may not have attracted the take-up that Google would have liked.

This new inclusion with Sun's software should help to increase the downloads of Google's suite of software products and, through the close cooperation between these companies, put Google in a stronger position to take share away from Microsoft's current monopoly in the PC applications market.