Google Earth gets snail's-eye view
The new Google Earth incorporates the Street View feature of Google Maps, including a full-screen option.
(Credit: Google)Part of the fun of Google Earth is flying over the virtual planet like Superman. But let's face it: we're ground-dwelling creatures, and the street-level view is useful, too. Even Superman has to land sometimes.
Enter Google Earth 4.3, due for release at about 8 p.m. Tuesday. It the Street View feature from Google Maps for a ground-level view of some areas, and a new navigation method makes the software more like a first-person video game, Google said in a statement.
The new version also lets users watch time-lapse views of sunsets and sunrises, either locally or when viewing the entire earth. It's also got faster, more realistic 3D graphics, Google said.
Google racing for 3D map supremacy against Microsoft, which has been pouring energy into its Virtual Earth and Live Maps technology, including a major upgrade last week. That technology also features 3D views of the planet and various cities, including updated version-2 graphics of four cities.
Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stshank. 
"Google racing for 3D map supremacy against Microsoft, which has been pouring energy into its Virtual Earth and Live Maps technology, including a major upgrade last week."
grammatical errors not grammer mistakes.
It the Street View feature from Google Maps for a ground-level view of some areas, and a new navigation method makes the software more like a first-person video game, Google said in a statement.
- Beware, the Google installer is evil!
- by sam99999999 April 16, 2008 10:39 PM PDT
- I tried to install the Google Earth update via "runas" since my ID runs in limited mode.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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(4 Comments)But the installer complained and said I need to use a full admin ID, and then it quit.
So just out of habit I ran msconfig and lo and behold, Google left an "updater service" AND an "updater" common startup item! I disabled both.
Then I decided to run Autoruns and I found a Google Toolbar notifier browser helper object had been added, even though I had declined Google Toolbar during the install. I disabled that too.
Then I had to stop the Google updater "service" which was now running.
I don't care what Google says, but this is pretty evil.