Google Earth

Google Earth for Android is probably the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to visit the most beautiful places in the world.

Thanks to its complete database you’ll get pictures, local info, layers, a 3D view -and much more- of almost any place on earth.

Far gone are the days of Columbus and his caravels: today, exploring the world is as easy as installing Google Earth mobile in your Android device. All you have to do is introduce the name of the place you want to fly to in the search bar and click. You’ll automatically get a real 3D bird’s eye view. Once you are located in the place you were looking for, you can change the layers to get local information on your destination (powered by the Wikipedia and Google Maps database). In addition, if your Android is equipped with GPS, you’ll be able to set your location and search for local services around you. And as if that wasn’t enough, you can also search by voice for the places you want to fly to.

Even though the interface and usability of Google Earth in its mobile version are quite good, we’re missing some extra layers and options. But even if we had them, is it really as useful as it sets out to be? After all, if you’ve already got Google Maps installed on your Android, you can to perform almost all the operations carried out by Google Earth (in addition to the specific Google Maps ones).

Google Earth is one of the star apps developed by Google Inc., the official Android Market provider, responsible of other indispensable Android apps such as Google Books, Google Maps, Gmail or Blogger.

Get Google Earth if you’re looking for a comprehensive app for searching for places, but take into account that almost all its features are already included on Google Maps.

Use Google Earth to fly around the planet with the swipe of a finger. Explore distant lands or reacquaint yourself with your childhood home. Search by voice for cities, places, and businesses. Browse layers including roads, borders, places, photos and more.

For tablet users (Android 3.0 or newer), you can now enjoy a new Google Earth experience optimized for the large screen. With a new action bar, you can get easy access to search, reset-to-north, my location, and layers. Also, on tablets and select phones, you can now explore the same photo-realistic 3D buildings that have previously only been accessible with the desktop version of Google Earth. Visit the Statue of Liberty in New York, the Taj Mahal in India, or the Sydney Opera House in Australia, all in their full 3D glory! To view 3D buildings, just select "3D Buildings" from the layer menu.

You can easily navigate with your fingers, using:
* a one finger swipe to move the globe
* a two-finger pinch and rotate to zoom in and out and rotate your viewpoint
* two-fingers swiped together to tilt your view
* a one single finger double-tap to zoom in and
* a two-finger double-tap to zoom out