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Google Earth comes to Android Tablets, offers 3D tours of bin Laden hideout

By Ricardo Bilton | May 5, 2011, 12:53pm PDT

Summary: Via an update, Google Earth is now available on the Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and, eventually, the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Google Earth has finally made its home on Android tablets.

Via an update to Android version of the application, Google Earth is now available on tablets like the Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab, and, eventually, the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Google says that the update takes advantage of some of the tablet’s most significant features, including processor speed and screen size. Google Earth Product Manager Peter Birch said that the process of moving from smartphones to tablets was like “going from a regular movie theatre to IMAX” - which should give you a pretty good indication of the types of experiences to expect from the update.

The application also supports fully-rendered 3D buildings, allowing users to take personal tours of famous structures like the Colosseum and, surprisingly, Osama bin Laden’s not-so-hidden hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

Aimed at tablets, the update only supports devices running Android 3.0 and above. You can grab it here.

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Topics

Android Tablet PC, 3D, Google Inc., Google Earth, Tablets, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Ricardo Bilton

Ricardo Bilton writes for ZDNet's The ToyBox. His work has appeared in The Japan Times, The New York Observer, and The International Business Times, among other publications.

Disclosure

Ricardo Bilton

Ricardo Bilton has no investments that may conflict with his work with ZDNet. Similarly, he has not worked with any companies that he may write about in his technology coverage.

Biography

Ricardo Bilton

Ricardo Bilton writes for ZDNet's The ToyBox. His work has appeared in The Japan Times, The New York Observer, and The International Business Times, among other publications. He lives in New York, and is a graduate of Amherst College.
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