Want to save $70? Sun's StarOffice application suite would normally set you back that much, but Google has just added StarOffice to Google Pack. For free.

The move is slightly perplexing, as OpenOffice.org is absolutely free, and it's built on StarOffice source code. The main difference between the two office suites is that StarOffice includes some proprietary graphics, fonts, and templates.

It's unlikely that Google's eating $70 for every person that downloads the application. In fact, we doubt Google would have made this move if it had cost the company a single penny, so this could be an expansion of the software distribution agreement that Google and Sun share.

It's worth noting that installing the Google Pack version of StarOffice means you get a Google Search toolbar in all of your StarOffice applications, whether it makes sense or not. Writing up that quarterly report, but you need to check to see what the last movie William H. Macy was in, go ahead and search Google. Or your desktop. Oh yeah, or the document you're working on.

The move does seem to indicate that Google will not be moving its Documents & Spreadsheets applications from the web to the desktop anytime soon. But perhaps we'll see integration between the applications in the future? Perhaps you'll be able to create a spreadsheet using StarOffice and save it both to your desktop and to Google Docs & Spreadsheets online.

[via Google Operating System]