When the application launched there was a tremendous novelty factor in nding your house, or surveying global landmarks and other aerial sights, but with the same satellite data now easily overlaid on Google Maps, the app is now starting to feel somewhat obsolete.
Presentation is generally excellent – start the app and you’re presented with the Earth sat serenely in space, before it spins and zooms cinematically to your last location. Navigation is simply a case of dragging your finger to spin the Earth around, while tapping the screen zooms in on a point. Using two fingers on your multi-touch screen enables you to zoom out, or spin the planet on a di erent axis. Google Maps-style icons enable you to search and pinpoint your location, but with the ability to rotate your view there’s also a handy compass to remind you where magnetic North is.
Google Earth has been available on mobile platforms since way back in 2008, and although the mobile version doesn’t include anything like the number of features included with its desktop equivalent, Google has attempted to integrate as many as possible. Layers were omitted from the launch version of the Google Earth app, but have since been included via updates.
Overlaying a variety of online information onto maps, the optional layers available on iPhone cover basic data from borders and place names, to businesses, relevant Wikipedia links and images on photo site Panoramio. Roads have also been included in Version 3.0.
The terrain layer that renders certain environments in 3D is an interesting addition, but let down by the clunky and kind of unnecessary tilt functionality. The only other addition to Version 3.0 is iPad-speci fic support, which ups the resolution. Google Earth already looked fairly polished on the iPad, though, with only occasional sluggishness letting it down, and although the app is serviceable over 3G, unsurprisingly, it’s most impressive when it's used with Wi-Fi.
Although it’s not particularly useful as a navigation tool, Google Earth is still a fun and educational way to traverse the globe.
Google Earth
Explore the world from the palm of your hand
Price: Free Developer: Google
Rating ★★★★★
from :
iPad 2 App Directory Volume 2
Imagine Publishing Ltd
