Google launches My Ramadan Companion to highlight relevant, local information for the holy month | 9to5Google

Google launches My Ramadan Companion to highlight relevant, local information for the holy month | 9to5Google

The month-long Muslim holiday of Ramadan runs from this evening, June 17th, and ends in the evening of July 17th, and Google has launched a website that takes advantage of the company’s vast offerings to provide a helpful dashboard through which to get the most out of the month.
The website, called My Ramadan Companion, includes the sunset and sunrise times in your area each day, traffic information, listings for the nearest mosque or charity Iftar, Ramdan recipes, related YouTube videos, and a bunch more.
Google in its blog post on My Ramadan Companion cites the more than 200 million Muslims living away from their families as a motivating factor to build technological solutions for those who observe the fasting holiday. “Growing up, the best part about Ramadan was eating way too much lentil soup with my family and catching up on the latest episode of our favorite series, ‘Bab Al-Hara’,” said Zain Kamal Masri, Associate Product Marketing Manager, Middle East and North Africa. “Today, living more than 1900 miles away from my family, I rely on technology to get close with them during Ramadan. Whether it’s sharing moments on Hangouts, my sister sending me pictures of the iftar spread of the day… technology helps us stay connected and celebrate Ramadan together even when away.”
Google will also use Now on mobile to present this information in cards when it feels right, taking into account your location and the time of day. So you may, for example, wake up in the morning to a card showing the Ramadan hours of your favorite shops and restaurants. Now may also recommend third-party apps that it thinks you may enjoy, like ones that help you wake up for Suhur or create greeting cards to share with your family. There’s a whole collection of essential Ramadan 2015 apps on the Play Store, too.
Google has always been a big supporter of diversity through programs like Made with Code and its support of LGBT families through full partner healthcare support, and this serves as another example of the company using its vast technology, knowledge, and resources to include everyone in the world’s knowledge and sharing.