Google Earth Totally Rocks

Google Earth - Home

"Want to know more about a specific location? Dive right in -- Google Earth combines satellite imagery, maps and the power of Google Search to put the world’s geographic information at your fingertips.

Fly from space to your neighborhood. Type in an address and zoom right in.
Search for schools, parks, restaurants, and hotels. Get driving directions.
Tilt and rotate the view to see 3D terrain and buildings.
Save and share your searches and favorites. Even add your own annotations. "

Oh yeah, the free Google Earth application rocks. It's even cooler than Google Maps (yes, that is possible... ;)

It's a little like NASA's WorldWind, but provides more data, seems faster and uses Google's Keyhole maps and does driving directions.

The Directions and Play Tour feature is also VERY cool and the reason I'll keep coming back to the app. You enter your starting and ending points, Google Earth draws the directions as you would expect. Now you can click on the Play Tour. You'll be taken along your route, zooming in and out at each turn/direction change. All the while seeing the satellite images for each turn. AND you'll be turned/orientated to the direction you would be going in (i.e. the map rotated to match the direction you would be driving in).

OH and I've just found the "Route" Play Tour feature. Above I was jumping from each turn or major change in direction. Zooming in and then out, going from point to point. BUT if you click on the "Route" item in your directions, and then Play Tour, you'll be taken along your route as if you were in a plane or helicopter. I.e. flying along your direction route. Turing to match the direction as you go... Too cool. You can set the height and speed, so you can zoom along at 150 meters above ground at 300MPH+ if you really want too (the zoomed in images don't look too too bad either ... lol)

Now I can virtually drive to work! LOL (okay, maybe that's not cool... err... I can virtually drive to Disneyland.. yeah, that's better... ;)

This might just be the map/direction tool that my wife can use... (I mean that in a good way ;)