IBM, Microsoft, Google, Verizon

Google Earth 6: Here’s What’s New

November 29, 2010

Mashable - Google has announced the release of Google Earth 6. The latest version is available today for Windows, OS X and Linux.

The update includes:

• Integrated Street View - The Google Maps Street View experience is now fully integrated into Google Earth. Pegman (the little guy that represents your Street View position) is now docked alongside the Google Earth navigation controls, where he launches Street View just like he does in Google Maps. The difference here is that you can go from orbiting the earth to standing in front of your childhood home. It may be a little disorienting.


• 3D Trees - While Google Earth has supported 3D buildings for some time, trees were only recently added to liven up the environments. The addition allows those using walking navigations to take direct paths and — as the video illustrates — not walk into trees. It also keeps the landscape from looking like a desolate wasteland.


• Better Historical Imagery - Historical imagery allows users to look at map views of times like Warsaw in 1935, London in 1945 and Port-au-Prince Haiti before and after the January earthquake. The feature was first added in Google Earth 5, but it wasn't always clear when and where it was available. In Google Earth 6, the date of the oldest imagery will appear in the status bar at the bottom of the screen.

All in all, Google Earth 6 is more of a refinement than an outright overhaul, but if you're a fan of Google Earth, you're going to want to grab the new version stat. If you've never used the service, maybe this video demonstration will change your mind: