Join for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation plus sign you up to our newsletter.
By submitting your information, you confirm you are aged 16 or over,
have read our
Privacy Policy
and agree to the
Terms & Conditions. Geographical rules apply.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Mountain View (CA) - Just in time for its first birthday, Google released an updated version of its Google Earth satellite imagery application. The company says that more than 20 percent of the landmass of the entire globe is now covered with high-resolution satellite imagery, allowing about one third of the world's population to see their homes in detail.
Google Earth 4 is a solid update over version 3, with imaging data the most visible upgrade, but just one part in a whole series of news. For example, there are new, more intuitive control buttons, a localized interface in French, Italian, German and Spanish as well as Linux and Mac OS X versions of the software that are available simultaneously with the x86 PC software.
The buttons to control viewing angles and zoom have been moved from the menu bar to the top right corner of the satellite image and appear through a mouse-over effect. Users familiar with the original navigation will need a few minutes to get used to the new controls, but may appreciate the greater flexibility of the new controls.
Google claims that about 20% of the world's landmass is now covered with high-resolution imagery, about four times as much as in the previous version of Google Earth. The firm said that about two billion houses in 200 hundred countries can be seen in high-resolution. As before, there are several grades of high-resolution. Somehow, our eyes still tell us that Google's headquarter is an indication about the maximum resolution offered by the software. You will see similar levels of resolution in most US metropolitan areas, but a clear degradation for example in many European, African in Asian cities.
According to the Google Blog, Google Earth initially "had medium resolution global satellite coverage [of] 15 meters per pixel." The new version has arrived at about 70 cm per pixel (about 27" per pixel) and Google claims that it has "even better data for many countries, up to 10 cm per pixel."
Google recommends for Earth 4 substantially more PC horsepower for any of the software's predecessors. System recommendations include a 2.4 GHz Intel processor (or equivalent), 512 MB system memory, 2 GB hard drive space, a graphics card with at least 32 MB of memory as well as a broadband connection with a 768 kb/s downlink.
Tom's Hardware is the leading destination for hardcore computer enthusiasts. We cover everything from processors to 3D printers, single-board computers, SSDs and high-end gaming rigs, empowering readers to make the most of the tech they love, keep up on the latest developments and buy the right gear. Our staff has more than 100 years of combined experience covering news, solving tech problems and reviewing components and systems.
