Google Trader comes to Ghana with style

The flashmobs at Ghana's Makola market

Google literally brought Accra – the capital of Ghana in West Africa – to a standstill with the public launch of its new product Google Trader. It is a free online classifieds service that allows Ghanaians to buy and sell products and services, as well as search for jobs or just about anything else.

Google understands Wolof

Internet search giant, Google, has launched the Wolof interface for Google Web Search in Senegal. Forty-five volunteers in collaboration with Google Senegal and the University of Gaston Berger of Saint Louis in northern Senegal teamed up for the translation marathon.

YouTube launches South Africa version

A local version of the world’s biggest online video sharing platform YouTube has launched in South Africa. The internet search giant Google announced that – http://www.youtube.co.za – is to give South Africans a way to easily discover local content and content producers. The feat comes on the heels of the fifth anniversary of YouTube.

Google Maps launch driving directions for Africa

Screen shot Google map direction in Accra

Drivers in selected African countries especially Kenya, South Africa and Ghana can now use Google Maps for directions to their destinations. Sounds awesome. Africa is now getting its fair share of technological transformation across the globe.

Google Free SMS Lands in Ghana

Ghana is the first African country to use the Free Google SMS – the latest product of the Internet search giant that allows Gmail users to send text messages to mobile phones at no cost. “These people keeps surprising and you never know what they would come up with next,” a fascinated Gmail user Adjei noted.

Google brings SMS service to Africa

IT giants Google has unveiled an SMS service that would help provide information to cell phone users in Africa. The product – Google SMS – to begin first in Uganda, would provide information, via SMS, on a number of topics including health and agriculture tips, news, local weather and sports.

MJ’s death overwhelms search engines

Search engines – Google and Yahoo – were stretched to the core following the death of Michael Jackson last week. The two known search engines said online traffic worldwide including Africa recorded dramatic increase.  Google’s Director of Product Management, R.J. Pittman told Channel Web that his outfit interpreted the numerous Jackson queries as an attack on its platform. Google’s news pages according to Itnewsafrica.com “were inaccessible for a time on Thursday night as news of Jackson’s death broke.”