Google Earth iOS App Update Brings 3D Flyover Viewing of Major Cities, Historic Landmark Tour Guides

With Apple’s soon to be released (if you count this coming Fall to be soon) iOS 6, everyone was waiting to see what Google would do with its map applications, since those will be replaced with Apple’s own proprietary version.

Look no further, because it appears Google has made its move with a recent update to the Google Earth app. Now, in addition to all you could do before, users are able to tour guides of historic locations, as well as 3D flyovers of major cities. That last part was a major feature highlight of Apple’s when they announced iOS 6 last month, so it appears that Google has beat the company to the punch, in terms of launching.

This is all well and good, because iOS 6 is more than just an updated maps app, but Google Earth’s latest feature additions are pretty neat. I updated the app on my iPhone, and found everything to work pretty smoothly, even the complex renderings necessary to give the 3D look and feel. Rotating and searching through the views was easy and didn’t provide very many things to grumble about, so it appears Google has done pretty well with this update. The only real detraction was that the available cities to look at were rather scarce, but more should be added with future updates. Considering that this is still a relatively new technology, it’s still rather impressive how well Google has done the job here.

About the Author

Jared Murray is a freelance writer currently living in Phoenix, Arizona.

 

Best Free Apps of the Day!