14 DAY TRIAL // Mountain View-based company Google launched on Monday a new application for handsets running under its Android 2.1 operating system, namely Google Earth. According to the company, this first iteration of Google Earth for Android comes with a nice range of features that desktop users of the application are already familiar with, including the Roads layer. The road labels will be drawn at the top of the satellite imagery, offering users a better view of where they are. Not to mention that the solution comes with support for the voice recognition capabilities of the mobile platform, a feature that will enhance the experience of users even more.
“As we hinted at last month, we knew Nexus One was going to be a great platform to showcase the rich (and technically demanding!) features of Google Earth. With a 1GHz processor, advanced 3D graphics, and Android 2.1, Nexus One packs a lot of performance in a thin package. Ever since we got our hands on one, we have been putting it through its paces, drawing complex scenes of 3D imagery, terrain, roads, and other layers, and Nexus One never misses a beat. Now that we have put the final touches on the app, we are happy to announce that the latest member of our family is ready for the world -- Google Earth for Android. This is our fastest mobile version of Google Earth yet, with a smooth framerate and a beautiful 800 x 480 screen,” Google notes on its mobile blog.
The support for voice recognition capabilities of the Android platform will certainly appeal a lot to mobile phone users owning devices powered by the OS, especially since Google Earth puts together the capabilities of Google Search by voice with the features of Google Local Search so that one can find it even easier to navigate and find places around the world. Not to mention that the solution also enables users to browse photos, places, and local businesses, regardless the place in the world where they are. And there is also the possibility to easily customize Google Earth on the handset so as to display the layers that are of highest interest.
For the time being, the new Google Earth for Android is available on Nexus One, as it is the only device currently running under Android 2.1. However, the software solution is also available for download via the Android market, and all handsets that will taste the latest flavor of Google's Android operating system will be capable to run it. In other words, it will soon be available for all devices that were promised to receive the update shortly, including Motorola DROID, Samsung Moment or HTC Hero, as well as on the phones that were unveiled at MWC last week with Android 2.1 on board, such as Acer's Liquid e, HTC's Desire and Legend, and others more.
