Google has recently announced ‘Google SMS’ a collection of mobile applications which facilitates users to access information by means of SMS. Information is presented on different subjects like health and agriculture tips, news, local weather, sports, and others.
Google wishes to serve wider range of people irrespective of their location and provide them with the necessary information. According to The Official Google Blog, a large number of people reach out to their mobile phones instead of their computers to seek the routine information.
Africa has reportedly the highest mobile growth rate across the globe and mobile phone penetration is six times the Internet penetration. In the continent, one-third of the inhabitants possess a mobile phone and several others atleast have access to it. The majority of the handsets in Africa offer just voice and SMS functionalities.
Moreover, the suite incorporates Google Trader which is a SMS-based ‘marketplace’ application that assists purchasers and vendors to locate each other. Users can also find, ‘sell’ or ‘buy’ any type of product or service, including used cars, mobile phones, livestock and even jobs.
Google is thrilled to introduce the Google SMS Tips that is an SMS-based query-and-answer service. It offers users a web search-like experience through their handsets by texting 6001. Users just have to key in a free form text query which is then streamlined by Google’s algorithms. It identifies keywords, looks into the database to spot appropriate answers, and presents the most relevant answer.
Presently, only MTN Uganda is the supporting carrier. However, Google aims to reach across the continent.