Google unveiled a new service designed to provide information using SMS text message to mobile phone users in Africa, where cell phones are prevalent but Internet penetration is low. Africa has the world's highest mobile phone growth rate. Mobile use on the continent is six times higher than Internet penetration. But most devices in Africa have only voice and SMS capabilities and this is where Google is trying to focus its technologies. The Google SMS will be first available in Uganda providing information ranging from weather, agricultural tip to sports and news. Another service known as the Google SMS Tips enables a mobile phone user to have a Web search-like experience. A user enters a text query and Google returns relevant answers after searching a database.

[Physorg]