Google unveiled a new version of Google Earth that features more coverage and higher resolution, at a level of detail not usually available with satellite photography, writes ZDNet. Google Earth 4.0, a downloadable program, runs on PCs, Macs and Linux machines; it is available in French, Italian, German and Spanish localized versions. The various improvements in Google Earth will eventually show up in the web-based Google Maps.

"Google is trying to make all these tools more accessible to ordinary people and get them engaged in content," Greg Sterling of Sterling Market Intelligence said, adding that "the idea of a geobrowser is fascinating, as is the eventual merger of gaming and mapping."

Developers can use Google's SketchUp 3D modeling software to make the Google Earth images as lifelike as possible, such as adding texture to buildings. Realtors can use SketchUp to build models of homes and put them into maps to show prospective buyers, for example. Users can also overlay different data on top of the same view.