Google Looking to Challenge Second Life

Google recently licensed a 3D technology that will allow the company to create 3D designs of buildings, streets or cities. Although the technology was already used by Google Earth and Google Maps to implement 3D drawings, it seems that the search giant wants to update it and create more impressive and efficient designs. "According to a Mercury News report, the technology was developed by a team of Stanford University students and was used to run a robotic car that won the 2005 DARPA Grand Challenge. Although Google is the market leader in mapping, to date it has lagged behind Microsoft's Virtual Earth in terms of 3-D functionality," TechCrunch reported.

As you can see, the 3D technology might help the company create its own virtual world, resembling Second Life, one of the most famous games on the Internet. However, a similar product developed by the Mountain View company can be even more successful because it will be based on real buildings and cities, an aspect that will surely attract more users to the product.

In the recent period, Google Maps was quite an important product as the search giant improved it periodically and added a lot of new features. For example, Google recently added detailed street imagery for numerous countries from all over the world. Google Earth wasn't neglected and it was also improved with a lot of new tools and features. For example, the most impressive update is the implementation of the Google Maps interoperability that allows a user to view a certain location straight in the browser window. All you need to do is open the downloadable application, select your location and then press the Google Maps button. Then, the program will automatically open your default browser and load the web-based service to display you the same Google Earth location.