The free and very feature rich desktop imagery application Google Earth version 5.0 has been released.
Version 5.0 is still labeled beta software, which makes one wonder if Google will ever call it stable. It adds capabilities to view ocean floor and sea surface imagery as well as synthetic historical scenes of famous sites, and it includes some upgrades to its armchair world touring features.
The free Google Earth offers satellite, ground based and astronomical imagery covering the entire planet and night sky complete with multi-layered maps, terrain and three-dimensional building views and a wealth of geo-location specific information.
The company also offers a Pro version, priced at $400, that has additional tools to support research, presentation and collaboration. Google makes custom databases available for enterprise applications.
Self-installing Google Earth 5.0 packages can be downloaded that work on Mac OS/X, Linux and Windows.
