Google Earth Launching For Free

Nathan Weinberg writes "Google launches Keyhole 3 today, rebranded Google Earth, and are dumping the subscription rate (except for a $20/year "plus" versions with prettier pictures) available soon at earth.google.com. The program lets you fly around a 3D globe, with overhead satellite photos, tilted 45-degree photos, 3D rendered buildings, and overlays that display everything from roads to hotels to bike routes. I have a lot of info and screenshots at InsideGoogle, and Search Engine Watch has a big writeup. With yesterday's Google Video release, this is shaping up to be a major week for the search giant."

Linux

[bcmm (768152)]

Anyone tested this in Wine (or something with better 3D support like Cedega) yet? Any luck?

Re:Linux

[budgenator (254554)]

won't run under wine on my machine, but I didn't expect it to, when a page talks about what video cards it runs with you can be pretty sure an OS emulator is out of the question.

Re:Linux

[gabebear (251933)]

No go on my machine (Debian Sarge)

The installer failed with regular Wine, with WineX 3.3-1 it installed but still wouldn't run.

Since they are working on a Mac version I imagine they will also at least look into releasing a Linux port.

Re:Linux

[dboli42 (859679)]

It works under wine!!!! Version 20050111-r1. I had to switch to fluxbox after it repeatedly crashed kde, it uses qt so maybe that was problems, its also somewhat unstable and requires working opengl

Wow!

[drewzhrodague (606182)]

Looks like we need to take advantage of this to plot Wi-Fi Everywhere [wifimaps.com]. Rock on, guys, see you at the next interview interval.

Better

[m85476585 (884822)]

It is like NASA World Wind [nasa.gov], but better.

Re:Better

[shellbeach (610559)]

It is like NASA World Wind, but better.

Except for one tiny little issue that I'm surprised no one on this site has picked up on: World Wind is open source, whereas Google Earth is not.

I've been playing around with World Wind for a while, and it's just fantastic stuff. I'll take the OSS solution any day ...

Re:Better

[samtihen (798412)]

I agree about the streaming. It doesn't seem right to me that Keyhole, now Google Earth, loads more slowly than Google Maps. They clearly use the same map data in almost all cases. And in some cases, I even like the Google Maps interface better. For instance, the 'double-click to center' seems easier than the Google Earth 'double-click to center and zoom'.

However, Google Earth does have some serious advantages in altitude sensitive data. I like being able to see what elevation my mouse curser is at, for instance.

Additionally, Google Earth has the much needed city and road data for the rest of the world, which I would like to see incorporated into Google Maps as well.

Re:Better

[Transcendent (204992)]

Frankly, it's downloading more data.... that's why it is slower. It's also loading the data level by level instead of the instantaneous selected view level for a given area, which of course is slower.

Once you have the cache on your computer, this program is great... especially for free.

Remember... this is free... you can't get everything for free.

Re:Better

[Transcendent (204992)]

Turning of the elevation feature didn't speed it up so either that's not it, or the streaming technology is ineffecient.

Turning off the elevation mapping should speed it up anyway... but without measurements there's no point in arguing that point.

On a larger, empirical argument that has more value, there's more to it than elevation... the elevation would be simple anyway since it's usually just a monochrome bitmap (well, compressed)... no color data. Like I said befure, there's more data. Street dynamics

Re:Better

[stg (43177)]

I'm playing with Google Earth now. I'm currently on dial-up, and it's still usable, as long as you are very patient :-) .

It does have quite a few labels in Brazil, and it has a neat feature with user-added places in the BBS (looks like they decided to go retro instead of just calling a forum). There are already a few in Brazil.

Should be very neat, as long as people don't start spamming it!

BTW, I've used the trial of Keyhole LT, and Google's free version seem much nicer... A year ago, their trial didn't h

Google Earth Free As In Beer

[conner_bw (120497)]

Wait... Sorry, that should have read:

Google Earth Free As In Beer Store Locator.

Wow

[sosume (680416)]

This is the best web application I have seen for years. Now I will be able top spy on my neighbours from the other side of the house!

No Mac support?

[illtron (722358)]

Aw man, c'mon Google!

This is amazing

[Otik2 (317009)]

Wow, this is great. The images are better than what they have for Google Maps, at least for my house (I can zoom in a lot farther). And the tilting and rotating are really fun. They have a few famous sightseeing places included by default, and just rotating and zooming around the Three Sisters or Yosemite was almost breathtaking. Integrating with their direction and local services is probably a good idea, though I doubt I'll use it much, but the images themselves are very well done. Good job, Google.

Been using often this morning....

[doormat (63648)]

Its actually pretty addictive for a GIS geek like myself. Plus it was neat to have it help me plan my camping trip this weekend.

It totally blows away any geographical user interface ESRI or Autodesk or anyone else has. They should be embarrassed with their current ArcIMS and MapGuide products - such rudimentary interfaces and poor performance.

Whats even more interesting is the Google Earth Enterprise suite. Being able to load my own satellite data and GIS data into this would be interesting. But like I've said before in other posts about google maps, the biggest problem for GIS groups would be the lack of an "Identify" tool (perhaps its there but I havent seen it in any of the screenshots). And still no scale bar at the bottom either, though they do have a north arrow.

Google kinda made it worse..

[vhold (175219)]

I was a Keyhole subscriber for a little over a year before google bought them.

As nice of an improvement the Google Earth software is, overall the product has become worse since google bought it.

The overall resolution has been decreased from many covered areas and super high-res areas have been removed entirely.

You used to be able to clearly make out the exact shapes of cars in the SF Bay Area, now they are blurry colored blobs. In the super high res areas, you could pretty much identify the model of most cars and sometimes even make out individual people.

If you are a long time subscriber like me, google placates you with an option to login to the 'legacy' database.. but if you are new.. no dice.

Doesn't that seem strange? I really hope they reintegrate the higher res data, it is profoundly better.

I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt that when they increased their coverage area they had technical issues with the highest res data, but it's been awhile now and they havn't changed their stance of "Oh.. umm yea..login to legacy.." since the new primary database came out.. so I'm fairly worried.

Re:Google kinda made it worse..

[theqmann (716953)]

They ended up changing their map supplier contracts around when Google bought em out. They now use the google map database (DigitalGlobe) instead of their older hi-res database (AirPhoto) which was negotiated with the Keyhole corporation. -QMan

Camping

[freeweed (309734)]

Speaking of which, for those of us into climbing/hiking, for most of the Canadian Rockies (Three Sisters in Canmore is included as a default sightseeing point, yay!) the resolution and elevation are sufficient to get a general idea of what you're heading into. I've pored over topo maps and the like, but you never get the sense of what you're getting into.

I've used the tilt/rotate and careful zooming on some of the areas I've been this summer so far, and it's positively creepy. Having satellite textures map

Yet again no *nix version.

[caluml (551744)]

Minimum configuration:

* Operating system: Windows 2000, Windows XP
* CPU speed: Intel® Pentium® PIII 500 MHz
* System memory (RAM): 128MB
* 200MB hard-disk space
* 3D graphics card: 3D-capable video card with 16MB VRAM
* 1024x768, 32-bit true color screen
* Network speed: 128 kbps ("Broadband/Cable Internet")

I/m getting a little tired of Google completely forgetting the numerous Linux and Unix users.

Re:Yet again no *nix version.

[savagedome (742194)]

You got it backwards. Google knows the penchant Windows users have for pretty pictures. That's why, all this 3D and 45degree angle jazz is for those snobbish Windows users. For us Unix and Linux people, Google will release a tool that will allow us to draw our own buildings on Earth. I say that will kick ass!

Re:Yet again no *nix version.

[zero-one (79216)]

Based on Google's most recent published operating system statisics [google.com]* they could make their software available to many more users by producing a version for Windows 95 or "Other" before making a Linux version.

(* obviously June '04 was a while ago but I doubt the statistics have changed much)

Re:Yet again no *nix version.

[Le Marteau (206396)]

Yeah! How dumb can Google be? The first day they offer their beta service, and what do they go for first? Windows! Go figure! They're not going to make any money with THAT kind of thinking! Everybody KNOWS it's the Linux community which is the one to go to when you are a for-profit entity.

Re:Yet again no *nix version.

[TheCabal (215908)]

Ask- no, DEMAND- for your money back.

Does it supports GPSbabel/GSAK

[Stavr0 (35032)]

painting waypoint, tracks and routes over the maps?

Re:Does it supports GPSbabel/GSAK

[Stavr0 (35032)]

Just answered my own question: Directory of C:\Program Files\Google\Google Earth Plus

2005-06-25 15:15 434 241 GoogleEarth.exe
2005-06-20 15:00 368 640 gpsbabel.exe
2 File(s) 802 881 bytes
gram Files\Google\Google Earth Plus

For this and other google news...

[Sebastian Jansson (823395)]

Well, I guess Slashdot already have a quite complete coverage of Google stuff, but if you wan't to beat the rush for some hours I recommend the Google Blog [blogspot.com] (with RSS)

Hell Building Instead Of Planet Building...

[creimer (824291)]

Won't be long before someone comes up with a version of Hell. Oh, wait a minute. I forgot that AOL cornered that market. I'm sure Microsoft is working on something, and an open source version shouldn't be too far behind. Although it's a bit hard to improve on hot, hotter, and hottest.

Google FAQ Question #1.

[mcg1969 (237263)]

Q: How can Google afford to give away so much for free?

A: Volume.

Untethered Version??

[yellowbkpk (890493)]

I know this is really just a pipe dream because Google wouldn't do it, but I could see this being very useful in a car computer application. I have been doing some heavy duty searching and there just isn't a good app for in-car navigation available to the general public.

If Google allowed you to cache their street data and then project colors over the topo maps instead of the "streaming" satellite images, this would be a killer navigation aid for in-car usage. Point of Interest and Address data could be stored in a few gigabytes (they do it on DVDs nowadays) on a harddrive and updated every night when you drive in to the garage (over Wifi).

Hackers...take your mark, get set, GO!

Google offers a refund to Keyhole subscribers

[Sprotch (832431)]

Should you consider that the "plus" version is not worth the 30 USD you shelled out for it three days ago, Google offers you a refund. The refund is pro-rated according to the number of months of the year you have been using your subscription.

Here [google.com]

Edit

[Nathan Weinberg (836684)]

I think it goes without saying that I wish I could update TFA. When I wrote it at 1 AM, 13 hours before it hit /., Earth hadn't yet been uploaded to the web, so "launching" in the title and "available soon" in the article haven't been accurate for many hours. Also, I would have mentioned the enterprise versions of Earth, which can cost a butt-load of money for those interested.

Good God, PLEASE STFU

[vectorian798 (792613)]

I am pissed off that everytime something innovative comes out, someone has to be a token Slashdot user and say 'No Linux Version' or 'No *nix? This sucks' or whatever other equivalent you can pull out of Slashdot's archives.

I was checking out the comments on Threshold 5 and was surprised to find half the comments along these same lines!!!

This is a FREE PROGRAM. It is FREE. It is also damn innovative, one of a kind (well...not quite, but for the features it has, definitely), and they even took the time to make it run on DirectX and OpenGL.

My gut instinct tells me that there will be a Linux Port sometime - it's in freakin' beta people quit your bitching.

Even if there isn't a linux port, you shouldn't be complaining because someone has to take the time to code all that - are you willing to go put in the time and do that work? I thought not. Now shut up while I go fly through San Francisco checking out Google Earth's awesomeness in 3D.

Re:Good God, PLEASE STFU

[Panoramix (31263)]

I am pissed off that everytime something innovative comes out, someone has to be a token Slashdot user and say 'No Linux Version' or 'No *nix? This sucks' or whatever other equivalent you can pull out of Slashdot's archives.

I agree, to some extent. It always annoys me when people complain about free software, as if they had some right to it. It is a gift. Complaining about something that was given to you is pretty lame, indeed.

However, the lack of a GNU/Linux version is very frustrating, so I also understand the feeling. See, I do not have a Windows machine. I do have valid reasons (at least valid and important to me) for not having one, so I do not even intend to get one in the foreseeable future. So I will not be able to run this software, when otherwise I would be all over it.

This is my choice, of course, so I am not complaining. It is just very frustrating.

Even if there isn't a linux port, you shouldn't be complaining because someone has to take the time to code all that - are you willing to go put in the time and do that work?

I am certain that many people here would gladly "take the time to code all that", for free even, if they only could. But this is not an open source app, so that is not possible.

Come to think about it, this could make a great project. GPL'ed clone of Google Earth, anyone?

A Fun Trick with Google Earth

[ubergoober (151136)]

Download Stellarium at http://stellarium.sourceforge.net/ [sourceforge.net] and you can pull up our night skies, only thing you need is your Lat/Long and a form of reference (conveniently provided by Earth) to get your bearings. Select an appropriate remote location in G-earth away from city lights and voila, instant geeky-but-still romantic date. Just add wine and an appreciation for the starry nights.

Flight Simulator

[josh_freeman (114671)]

Was I the only one that thought a flight simulator + google Earth = hours and hours of fun?

Plus Just Prettier? I don't think so...

[lullabud (679893)]

except for a $20/year "plus" versions with prettier pictures

Uh, yeah, that and the ability to communicate with external GPS receivers to manage waypoints and track logs, which is a HUGE plus for those of us who like to get out and explore the earth in meatspace. Also, there is currently no good software to do this on the Mac, and although Google Earth doesn't currently support Mac, the site does say that they are working on it, which is an even bigger bonus for me since that's one of the only reason's I use a PC outside of work. I had e-mailed Keyhole before Google bought them and they said they weren't planning on making a Mac version... Thank God that Google bought them and is setting that right. I'll definitely pay for the plus version when it comes out for Mac.

Dear Linux users...

[alex_ware (783764)]

seeing as so many of you have started threads there is no main one to post this [google.com] to, look at the screenshot. There IS A LINUX VERSION.

when running google earth in vmware

[e**(i pi)-1 (462311)]

Google earth is fantastic. It worked very well for me with vmware workstation 5.0 under linux. I had to select OpenGL at the startup of liveearth. When selecting Divx, liveearth will lock up terribly under vmware and you need to do remove the program and and reinstall to get rid of the broken cache. Here is a screenshot [harvard.edu]from the building I work in.

GE Downloads closed - Mirrors available

[Phrak (882783)]

Google have closed their downloads for Earth.
See http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4659.html [majorgeeks.com] for mirrors.
Not sure which version is the latest, but MajorGeeks have "Google Earth 3.0.0336 Beta"

Yeah...

[Svartalf (2997)]

Google, you're all about Linux- why can't ya come up with a Linux (and a MacOS X) version, hm?

Re:Yeah...

[diegocgteleline.es (653730)]

They bought this software to another company, they didn't started it from scratch. So, I find reasonable that they are focusing on getting the first release out, then consider porting to another platforms...it's possible that the software depends too much in windows-specific things to be ported to linux at all.

Re:Terrorism???

[RichardX (457979)]

OK, tell that to the families of more than 3000 people who died on 9/11. People need to be more alert, it is not paranoia to be worried about the international terrorist threat and I think people who aren't worried about it are pretty naive.

I wonder, perchance, if you've considered why it's commonly referred to as "9/11" or "September the eleventh two thousand and one"?

It's because that's when it happened. The only time it has ever happened.
Yes, it was a tragedy, and a crime against humanity, and a spect

Re:examples of 3D buildings?

[wjsteele (255130)]

New York is full of them. Just use the Shift-Arrow combinations to tilt the view.

Bill

Re:examples of 3D buildings?

[BandwidthHog (257320)]

I have been unable to find examples of 3D buildings - anyone else have luck?

My town is littered with them. In fact, I'm sitting in one right now. They should be pretty easy to spot; a good rule of thumb is that if something is tall enough to trip over, it's 3D.

Re:examples of 3D buildings?

[TapeCutter (624760)]

I guess a 2D building would be called a flat!

Re:examples of 3D buildings?

[CausticPuppy (82139)]

Atlanta has them.

Also, after installing it, it seemed that 3D Buildings is turned off by default. Make sure that option is checked in the left-hand option pane.

Re:Corrupted download

[winkydink (650484)]

Oh yeah, that's right, I forget. I signed up for the UDP-only connection. Sheesh.

Re:Now all I need...

[Momoru (837801)]

Its not Google branded, but you can tie into a GPS with Google Earth Pro.

Re:How long will this last?

[Bandman (86149)]

why does Rand McNally hate democracy?