Now, bearing in mind the massive job the software has to do to get the satellite imagery online, this isn’t exactly a surprise, but these days we’re used to speed online and waiting for longer load times can really test our patience.Īnother con is that the controls aren’t always intuitive. We feel almost bad for picking holes in Google Earth but there are a few niggles that occurred to us while we used it. You’ll also be able to see how Google is using Earth to contribute to research and education, as well as accessing a number of secondary Earth tools (More from Earth…) that allow people to use it in a more practical way in their community or workplace. Like almost every other Google tool out there, there is extensive support documentation, help centers, and forums, and a Medium blog, to keep you updated with changes to the program. If you’re logged in, you’ll be able to save locations and searches, upload your own coordinates, and better keep track of your interactions with the software. This being a Google tool, you’ll be able to get more out of it if you sign in with a Google account. The arch-content creator that Google is, some of these interactive suggestions are truly charming and will definitely encourage you to stick around a while. Obviously, all the power of the internet adds a few features, so when you tire of navigating yourself, you can click through to the Voyager section (indicated by the little ship’s wheel icon) to let Google give you some suggestions, games, and hints that will allow you to get more out of the tool. The premise is simple - Google Earth is an online, 3D globe and you can use it for the exact purpose you might use a traditional globe - marveling at our planet, finding geographical locations, and getting a sense of the scale of the planet on which we live. It’s been around since 2001 and has seen many, many updates and a lot of new tech that make it the amazing tool it is today. Google Earth is a classic Google program that renders the Earth in 3D based on extensive satellite imagery.
Release notes: What’s New In Google Earth Pro 7.3.1 Here are a few highlights of the many fixes, changes and improvements we’ve made for this release of Google Earth Pro.Despite a few problems, Google Earth is still totally amazing Also, of particular note is support for Windows 64-bit version. My favorite change happens to be the fix which supports higher refresh displays which run faster than 120Hz. The actual fixes are too numerous (and for most too boring) to list, but Google has been listening to feedback on the help forum and fixing those which have the greatest impact. This new version 7.3.1 incorporates a wide range of bug fixes, security and performance enhancements, and even some new features (a condensed list is in the release notes below) for all operating systems supported. Since the web/mobile version is a long way from replacing the desktop version, it is important to thank Google for continuing to support Google Earth Pro. But, until then, they plan to continue to support the more powerful desktop version of Google Earth Pro.
Eventually, Google says they plan to incorporate more features in the web/mobile version. The desktop version, Google Earth Pro, on the other hand has all the features for creating content derived from the last 13+ years of development on Google Earth, and provides you with a wealth of built-in layers and content, as well as many ways to view content (as documented on this blog since 2005).
The web/mobile version is a new partial re-write of the original Google Earth software, but is much more limited in many ways – in particular because you can’t create content with it for placing on the Earth ( read review of its release last April).
There are two distinct versions of Google Earth currently: Google Earth Pro (for desktop OSes: Windows 7+, Mac OS 10.8+, and Linux) and Google Earth for Chrome and Mobile (web-based and Android/IOS).
I am showing the full release notes below, but I want to explain some things about this version to those of you who might be confused about the different versions of Google Earth out there: You can download this at the download page found here: This new version 7.3.1 represents some significant work by Google to add “ bug fixes, performance and feature improvements, and security upgrades.” – as seen in the announcement post in the Google Earth help forum here.
Last night Google released a new version of the desktop version of Google Earth Pro version 7.3.1 (which is free despite the confusing “Pro” name).