Google the Entire Earth

Yet another beta service Google's launched in the last couple of days is Google Earth - a 3D interface to the planet that is like Google Maps on steriods. (It's temporarily "taking a breather" due to overwhelming interest.) Google Earth is an application you can download with Free, Plus and Pro versions offering a fantastic array of features. Honestly I'm blown away. This is one of the most awe-inspiring pieces of software I've played with in years. If you think I'm nutty, (or even if you don't) please read on.

Google Earth allows you to look at the entire planet in medium-high resolution goodness, complete with 3D rotation and attitude control - whether you're 20 feet or 2000 miles off the ground. You can toggle features such as true 3D buildings (38 US cities for now) and terrain, and a "Layers" option can show a plethora of notable locations such as major retail outlets, churches, volcanoes and even golf courses. Driving directions? Don't even get me started. Find out more after the jump.


Sure, you can enter your route, place your own annotations and see every step of the way in 3D grandeur that rivals even their own Maps. But the sweet part is that you can hit a "Play" button and get a 100% fly-through of the entire route. Drool.

Images, maps and routes are printable, but if you want anything better than a standard screenshot you have to upgrade to Plus or Pro. Plus offers GPS device support, better printing and drawing tools, while Pro brings presentation and collaboration features for professional and commercial uses.

Presently Google Earth is only available for Windows, although their site says a Mac version is coming. Lastly, as of this writing the service is still "taking a breather", but I'm sure it'll be back up soon.