CAIRO: Google, the world's most popular search engine, has unveiled a new expansion of its product offerings in the Arabic language. In addition to popular services like the iconic search engine and its nearly limitless email server, Gmail, the company now offers users Google Earth in Arabic. On Google Earth, long available in English, users can log on and see almost any location or address in the world with the click of a mouse. Ever wondered what satellite images of the Pyramids look like? Log on and take a look. You can even search for your office or home address. In addition to searching satellite images, Google Earth also shows users relevant information and blog posts about the locations they have searched. Searching for the Gezira Club will not only show you photos of its wide lawns and its location on a map of Zamalek, but will also call up a wealth of recent online commentary about the posh club. Ema Linaker, Google's Eastern Europe and Middle East and North Africa Regional Director, says this is all a part of the company's larger mission to make the internet more user-friendly. "We want to make the internet, and the information on it, more accessible to people, she told The Daily Star Egypt. "We'd love to be able to fly around the world on Google Earth and see updates and blogs about different places in Arabic. The more people contribute to the site, she says, the better it will make everyone's experience of the internet. "We want to include contributions from more local users and get more and more Arabic content on Google Earth, about anything and everything. Not just about the Middle East, she said. "We would like lots of people to add their content to the site. Say someone goes to London and writes a blog in Arabic about their trip - that's the kind of thing we'd love to see.
