TechStarz

Google's ground-breaking GoogleEarth application has come to the iPhone and iPod Touch.It was announced yesterday on google's official blog.

The software is now available for download in 18 languages and 22 countries via Apple's App Store.
It is similar to the PC version.The software has been altered to make maximum use of the iPhone's screen and functionality.

There is access to the eight million Panoramio images integrated into the application, geo-located photos and one-touch links to Wikipedia articles - allowing a virtual tour of the globe.Google Earth for iPhone has a small Webkit-based browser to show the specific information users click on, and includes a link to the built-in Safari browser. When you click the address of a business using the local search engine, the iPhone will intercept the command and show it in Google Maps, enabling you to get directions instantly

The iPhone's accelerometer has been integrated into the application, allowing users to tilt the device to adjust the view and see 3D terrain.

The GPS-linked My Location feature will display your current location, although tests this morning on an iPhone 3G suggested it may suffer from accuracy problems.

Google Earth for iPhone proved reasonably fast over 3G, and ran smoothly on most features.The app is free and available in all languages the iPhone currently supports, and will gradually be released for 22 countries in all.