Google Earth- The iPhone Version is more limited! - Computers - Mobile Computing

Google Earth- The desktop application from Google has now mobile version for the iPhone and iPod. Like the desktop version, the mobile version also offers features like birds-eye, 3-D view of the earth with zoom via satellite photos, from Paris, New York to your own backyard. It is really remarkable, how it puts the whole world on your mobile device.The application really comes handy, if you're a stranger in a strange land for its ability to search for nearby businesses. But it's a rough transition from the desktop to the iPhone, and Google Earth has lost some of the functionality that makes it such a pleasure to use on the Mac. But then the mobile version would just function to match the functionality of the maps app that comes inbuilt with the iPhone or iPod touch.Here's how the app works. You can type in a location after tapping the search icon in the upper left corner of the screen; tap the location button in the lower left corner, and Google Earth will find your curre nt locale anywhere on the planet, highlighting it with a bright blue dot. Drag your finger in any direction, and Google Earth will follow. Google Earth adjusts itself based on how a user is holding his iPhone; turning the phone sideways will give horizontal view of the map. The app also takes advantage of the accelerometer by tilting the screen as a user tilts his iPhone or iPod touch. It's certainly a cool way of getting something other than a top-down view of an area.Once fixed on a location, the user can search the surrounding area for points of interest. Tap on the search icon again, and type out a search query-"restaurants," say. A series of labeled circles will pop up on the screen showing you all the restaurants in your immediate vicinity. Tap on one of those circles, and you'll get an address, a URL, reviews from assorted Web sites (if applicable), and, in many cases, a phone number.While Google Earth on the iPhone remembers previous searches, it doesn't allow you to add place marks or pinpoints in the same way that you can store favorite places on the desktop app. This is a very significant omission that diminishes the usability of the mobile version.Another difference between the desktop and mobile iterations of Google Earth is the limited number of layers available for the latter. On the desktop version, you can choose to show street names, places of interest, traffic, or other layers created by the vibrant Google Earth community. It's one of the things that make the desktop version so appealing.With its search capabilities, Google Earth could be a valuable tool if you find yourself in a strange city and need to track down a restaurant, ATM, or tourist attraction in your immediate area. The desktop version is "whatever you want," and thanks to the fact that an user can customize the app any way he sees fit. The iPhone version is more limited. So, it's a huge task for an iPhone application developer to get the app at par with the desk top version.