Google Earth

I know it can be intolerable after about 600 times. Well, Autonet Mobile, the first internet entertainment system for cars, is eliminating "Are we there yet?" from kids' vocabulary this summer by turning the family car into a rolling WiFi hotspot. Now, everyone in the car can bring their own computer or WiFi device and be part of "getting there" with the ability to track points of interest on Google Earth; research the history of towns they are passing through on Wikipedia; or post pictures of the trip in real-time on Facebook, flickr or blog pages.

This summer, as Americans take to the roadways, families are replacing the DVD player with the hottest accessory for the car – internet access from Autonet Mobile. I so wish I had this when my family went on long road trips. I had to make do with relics like the Game Boy and Game Gear to keep me entertained. Yes, I had a Game Gear (still have it) and love it!Read more

Current trends in everything from clothing and manufacturing to electronics are to go green, that is, more environmentally friendly. Google Earth has always been green in quite another sense. Revolutionary for its ability to provide satellite images of much of the world, the breakthrough technology has been restricted to dry land until now. Sure, the ocean was in the picture, but its presence was little more than a blue blur and left much lacking. Given that the majority of our planet’s surface area is water, Google Earth finally lives up to its namesake in version 5.0 by including more detail of the ocean. Now you can view details of the ocean floor, as well as photos or videos of natural formations and wildlife relevant to that spot! Think of it as underwater street-level viewing.

In addition to underwater availability, Google Earth 5.0 includes takes a stab at the next frontier – space – by including a 3D map of Mars (Google Universe anyone?). Perhaps the most interesting addition is a historical viewer which allows the user to view certain locations as they were in the past.

Google Earth 5.0 is available right now for free through Google.com.

Official Google blog

Cnet’s live blog of the Google Earth 5.0 announcement