Google uses balloons to expand reach of internet

Washington Post : Google has launched an ambitious project to provide internet access to remote areas of the world. Project Loon consists of a network of giant balloons that use a combination of wind and solar power to navigate at altitudes twice as high as commercial planes. Significantly cheaper than satellites, the balloons carry equipment to beam internet access to the ground. For its pilot project launched over the weekend, Google sent 30 of the balloons over the Canterbury area of New Zealand, which is mostly rural. Google’s engineers will use complex algorithms and massive computing power to maneuver the balloons to where they are needed. It has been estimated that two out of three people in the world lack internet access. For a company such as Google, that represents a large, untapped potential pool of consumers for its products and services, which include the leading Web search engine, email service, and internet video site.