• by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, June 13, 2006

Google this week launched an upgrade to Google Earth, a three-dimensional mapping service that offers high-resolution images.

"When we say 'high resolution,' we mean the good stuff: you can see cars, houses, buildings in more than 200 countries and territories," states the company on its blog. "Not every house is covered, only about two billion of them."

This version, Google's latest upgrade since purchasing Keyhole in 2004, is available for free, while a premium version is available for a fee.

While the product is technologically impressive, the available views--photos of buildings and cars shot from above--seem of limited use to the typical New York City pedestrian, such as myself. In fact, when searching for buildings or addresses, the lower-profile "Block View" by Amazon's A9, seems handier. That service shows views of streets the way consumers experience them when walking or driving down the block.

Regardless, the new Google offering has captured the attention of many in the media and undoubtedly will be installed by numerous consumers--at least some of whom probably will now use Google search more frequently. Consider: during the installation process, Google asks users if they want to install the Google toolbar and make Google the default search engine. The boxes to do so are pre-checked, so it's safe to assume that Google will gain at least a handful of new regulars via this feature.