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Google is a dominant player on the Web, but the company is now stretching its wings to the physical world as well.

The Google Space project at London's Heathrow Airport in Terminal 1, gives travellers a bit of useful space and time before their flight to log onto the Net and check e-mail. For Google, the space will be used to test its myriad product launches on the public. In other words, the project is a huge focus group.

According to a Google survey, the average airline passenger wastes over 9 hours a year waiting for flights. That adds up to more than a day of annual holiday allowance lost every year, and nearly three weeks of an average working life. A half of British passengers surveyed said they had nothing better to do in airport terminals than eat, drink and shop.

The stand will be staffed by at least two Google employees from 7am to 7pm every day for the duration of the trial, which will run until 19 December. Google staff will be flown in from around the world to man the station. According to the compant, Travellers are spending an average of 30 minutes at Google Space.

However, 71 per cent of respondents stated that they would like to use this time to find out more about their destination. Moreover, a quarter of respondents said they would like to be able to fire-off some last minute e-mails, with a further 20 per cent suggesting they could use the time to pay their household bills online.

Depending on the success of the Heathrow project, Google says it could become a recognised physical presence in airports, stations and even high streets around the world. And while it may seem that Google has its fingers in many pies at the moment, all its products are cleverly interlinked and focus on the company's core DNA of search.

The top five things people want to find out are:

A map of their destination (73%)
Weather forecast for the destination (68%)
Which tourist traps to avoid (64%)
A guide of famous sites and landmarks (61%)
Information on how to get to the city centre (54%)

In the near future we can also expect Google to make a play for our pockets too, with mobile and personalisation tools in the wings.Google's ever-expanding product portfolio has led some to question whether it is making a bid to be the next Microsoft. We hope not, because the market needs more than two key players.