The Hindu : National : Google products with a ‘desi’ touch

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 22, 2007
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Google products with a ‘desi’ touch

Anand Parthasarathy

— Photo: Anand Parthasarathy

LOCAL FLAVOUR: Google India Engineering Director Prasad Ram (left) and Country Head (Products) Vinay Goel unveiling the search leader’s new Indian language services.

Bangalore: The Net’s biggest search engine has gone ‘desi.’ Building on the expertise available at its India-based development labs as well as the large number of Indian-origin engineers at its U.S. headquarters, Google has launched a slew of products for the large number of potential users of its services in this country, who may be challenged by their lack of proficiency in the English language.

“Virtual” keyboards have been created for 12 Indian languages as well as Nepali and Sinhala. They will allow users to type in their search queries directly on the screen using the mouse. This will initiate a Google search of all available resources in that language.

While the task of entering text in Indian languages has been simplified by providing many vowel and consonant combinations, Google has also launched a transliteration tool where typing Hindi words phonetically in English script generates the word in Devanagiri. The text can then be pasted onto the search window — and also used to create Indian language content in other applications such as blogs, spreadsheets or word processors.

Prasad Ram, Google India’s Bangalore-based Centre Head and Engineering Director, explained that work was going on to create transliteration tools in all other Indian languages. In another India-specific initiative, Google has created local information search tools for a large number of Indian metros and towns.

These will typically provide the address, phone contacts and location of local shops, establishments and institutions — and will also link their own websites if available.

Special launch

Vinay Goel, Google’s Country Head, India, for products, explained in the course of a special launch briefing for The Hindu, that to help expand the data base of such establishments, they had provided a link where local busines ses could upload their own profiles, pictures and service descriptions.

The links to the Indian language keyboards and the Hindi transliteration tool can be found at the home page of Google India Labs: http://labs.google.co.in/

The local search tool is here: http://local.google.co.in/, while the link for adding new business details is www.google.co.in/local/add

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