Google Earth —a 3-D mapping tool made its Mac debut last month probably generated the most buzz of any non-Apple-made product during Expo, and for good reason—it’s a visually breath-taking and remarkably addictive tool.
Google Earth is a free, stand-alone earth simulation program that integrates maps and satellite imagery with Google search capabilities. In a sense, it’s not all that different from the satellite view option you get with the online version of Google Maps. Then again, that’s like saying the notepad doodle you sketched during your last office meeting is not all that different from a Rembrandt. Sure, both are artist renderings, but one is just a wee bit more full-featured than the other.
For starters, Google Earth resides on your desktop. You don’t need to have a browser open to run it, though you will need an Internet connection. (Otherwise, the application will stall when it tries to login to the Google Earth server after launching.) Also, this is not just a flat, overhead view—Google Earth features a curved, horizontal view that’s more like what you would see looking out an airplane window. You can zoom in and out as you would with a flat map, but you can also tilt the horizon up and down and rotate the picture for a more panoramic view. Search for a city or an address or a landmark, and Google Earth will zoom in; do another search, and the application zooms out and pans over with the globe tilting appropriately all the while. It’s an arresting effect.
Read more at
http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/macgems/2006/02/googleearth/index.php
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Visitors
No comments:
Post a Comment