
Google this week
updated its Google Earth mapping software for the iPhone and iPod touch. Version 2.0 adds numerous features to the software, including the ability to view maps created on a desktop computer on the iPhone. The update also adds more languages, improved icon selection, and better performance.
"By logging in directly to your Google Maps account, you can view the same maps that you or others have created, using the My Maps interface," the company said. "Maybe you're on a trip and want to see where Tony Wheeler, the co-founder of Lonely Planet, most likes to travel. Or perhaps you're walking around looking for a restaurant and you want to see where world-famous chef Ferran Adrią likes to eat. All you have to do is click "Save to My Maps", open Earth on the iPhone, log in with the same account information, and voilą, you have your same collection of My Maps right in your pocket."
In version 2.0, touching an icon produces a small glow under the user's finger to let them know which icon they have selected. If a finger touches multiple icons, the software provides a list of icons to make it easier to select an individual one.
Google Earth now offers 31 languages, up from the original 18. The complete list of supported languages is English (U.S), English (UK), French (France), German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Portuguese (Portugal), Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Arabic, Thai, Czech, Greek, Hebrew, Indonesian, Malaysian, Romanian, Slovak, and Croatian.