Explore detailed 3D maps, layered information, and global landmarks in a powerful virtual atlas
Explore detailed 3D maps, layered information, and global landmarks in a powerful virtual atlas
Vote (140 votes)
Program license Free
Developer Google LLC
Version 10.109.82.04
Works under Android
Also known as Google Earth
Pros
- Can Be Saved to Your SD Card Unlike many other Google apps you’ll be able to move it to your SD card right from the start.
- Choose From Multiple Views You’ll be able to choose from street and 3D view, as well as enable layers of additional information that can add social and historical context.
- The Best Free Real-World Atlas Available There are no other free atlas programs out there that can compare with this app.
Cons
- ”Look Around” Doesn’t Always Work Navigation and 3D views can be tricky at best, totally unusable at worst.
Google Earth is an amazing 3D map app that puts the entire planet at your fingertips.
Have you ever wanted to explore the world? What about sail the oceans blue? How about taking a quiet wander through the backstreets of Paris? You can do all this and more with Google Earth.
This app is a monster of a program that needs serious space to work properly – the good news though is Google will allow you to save it to you SD card and save space on your main HD.
When you open Google Earth you’ll be able to type in an address (it can also just be a city like New York City or Cairo, Egypt!) or click on the “My Location” button to find out exactly where you are. From there you’ll be able to change position and enjoy a world of exploration right on your phone or tablet.
You control Google Earth just like you control Google Maps: tap on your screen to zoom in on a target, reverse pinch to zoom out. It’s important to point out that the “Look Around” feature doesn’t always work right, and even when you use the two-finger tilt and rotate you might still not get the desired result.
One of the best features of Google Earth is “Layers”; this lets you enable extra information like pictures, Wikipedia articles and other items of interest pertinent to what you’re looking at. Layers allow you to “peel back” the history of a place, as it were, but it’s totally optional and can be disabled altogether if you want.
Now there’s a lot to love about the app, but there’s also some serious problems with it too. If you’re viewing landmarks in 3D view you may experience problems rotating the view or zooming in; sometimes it can crash altogether, something that happens even on the desktop version of the app.
Layers don’t always work, and it can be hard to select and deselect what layers you want to have overlaid over a specific location. Navigation can be a bit tricky as well, with gestures not working as intended being a common gripe.
Other than that though, there isn’t another free 3D virtual atlas software out there that can rival Google Earth. If you want to explore the planet (and the cosmos, try searching for “Mars” or “Pluto”!) with a few swipes of your finger, it’s definitely worth the download.
Pros
- Can Be Saved to Your SD Card Unlike many other Google apps you’ll be able to move it to your SD card right from the start.
- Choose From Multiple Views You’ll be able to choose from street and 3D view, as well as enable layers of additional information that can add social and historical context.
- The Best Free Real-World Atlas Available There are no other free atlas programs out there that can compare with this app.
Cons
- ”Look Around” Doesn’t Always Work Navigation and 3D views can be tricky at best, totally unusable at worst.
Google Earth is a free mapping tool for your Android device. When you need to get a view of a park, neighborhood or a larger geographic area, Google Earth is a wise choice. This app allows you to zoom in and out as desired. You can use it to navigate through a national park or across the world.
Downloading Google Earth is fast and simple from the Google Play store. It only takes one or two minutes to download, depending on the operating system and speed of your device. You can mark favorite places, home and work in Google Earth.
