Google Earth
First Impressions: Google's Amazing Earth
Posted by Harry McCracken
Monday, June 27, 2005, 09:00 PM (PST)
On Tuesday morning, Google plans to officially announce Google Earth, a Windows satellite photo/mapping/driving directions/local information program. Some of us here at PC World have been playing with the software for the past few days, and it's a wonder we've gotten any work done.
Google Earth is that spellbinding; it ranks among the best free downloads in the history of free downloads. But it's not unprecedented, Actually, it's an update to Keyhole, a mapping program which Google acquired last year. We loved Keyhole even back when an early version sold for $90. (A more recent "lite" edition has sold for a reasonable $30.)
Google Earth knocks the price down to nothing and adds useful new features, including integration with other Google location-related services. There will also be two premium versions, Google Earth Plus and Google Earth Pro, which will offer additional tools (such as GPS integration) for $20 and $400, respectively.
How is Google going to make money from this freebie? As with some of the company's other offerings, it's currently vague on that point. But since the software's uses involve planning travel and searching for local information, you can certainly envision a version of the software with embedded ads that could be unobtrusive...and maybe even useful.
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