Google Earth for Webware
Key Details of Google Earth
Editors' Review
Google Earth is a planetary exploration tool that lets you take a virtual trip to anywhere in the world, with tons of photos, information, and other types of interactive displays you can explore. Whether you have a particular destination in mind, or you just want to poke around and see what it's like to live in different areas, this app has tons to offer.
Pros
Fun dynamic: With this program, you can literally spin the globe and let your finger land on any random spot to decide where to explore next. It's easy to get lost for hours clicking around to view images of different places and see how people live in all parts of the world.
Lots of info: In addition to the images, which are excellent, this app also provides tons of information on the people, culture, and history of an area.
Cons
Awkward navigation: When you're poking around, it's sometimes hard to know what you're clicking on other than photos. There are many different types of icons denoting various kinds of features all over the map, and while there is a key provided, the icons are so small that it's tough to tell them apart most of the time. This makes searching for specific features or information difficult.
Bottom Line
Google Earth gives you a lot of fun information to play with, but it could benefit from a bit of an interface upgrade. That's no reason not to try it out, though, especially since it's free, and it does run smoothly, even if you can't always tell exactly what you're clicking on.
