Yesterday we quickly mentioned that Google was set to launch Google Earth 4.3 sometime in the evening and we outlined some of the features that it was going to have. The new version has launched and now that we’ve seen it in action, we decided more needed to be said. Google has really done an amazing job with this version, particularly with the lighting effects, the new navigational gadgets, and the way they implemented Street View.
The Google Earth Blog put together a great video which demonstrates these features, so if you want to see what it’s all about but you don’t want to download Google Earth quite yet, definitely take a look.
If you go to about 8 seconds into the video, you’ll see a great demo of the lighting effects which allow you to see the current position of the sun. You can drag the time slider back and forth to see how the sun progresses across the Earth. Zooming into the Earth will allow you to see the effects of the sun on the terrain.
Another great section of the video goes over Street View which does work different in Google Earth compared to Google Maps. You’ll find that section at about 3 minutes and five seconds into the video.
Take a look, I think you’ll be impressed!
that is very impressive
whats next? live satellite streaming? lol
Those guys at Google well earnes the luxurious facilities, free ice cream, meditation room and so on…
When I try to play the video it says “video no longer available”
Oops
Never mind, tried again a minute later and it worked OK. Sorry about that
It’s not that big of a secret how they actually do the city 3d models…
Quite a bit of innovation coming from DARPA projects…
here is the URL:
[gearthblog.com]
This is amazing! Will definitely have to upgrade
Looks more like a 5.0 than a 4.3 to me..
I’m torn between what will be next. It’s either live satellite streaming or a “house view” where they come in your house to take pictures.
I was actually thinking that as well. These are some pretty big features, and it deserves to be more than just a “point” release.