Google Earth comes to iPhone

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Google has released a customised version of Google Earth for the iPhone.

The application is available now in 18 languages and 22 countries as a free download from Apple's App Store.

Google said it has optimised the application for use on Apple's device. Users can zoom in and out of Google Earth using the iPhone's multi-touch finger pinch interface. Additionally, the application takes advantage of the iPhone's accelerometer and the view adjusts as you tilt the device, enabling you to view the horizon.

It also embeds geo-tagged Wikipedia entries to give you information on cities, businesses and places of interest and Panaramio images of locations are also included. A Search-near-me' feature provides local searches of your surrounding area.

"The world just got a little bit smaller", said Peter Birch, product manager for Google Earth, said on the official Google Earth blog page.

The releases of Google Earth for the iPhone comes ahead of the release of the first phone based on Google's Android platform, the T-Mobile G1 from, which is scheduled to appear later this week.

Benny Har-Even is a twenty-year stalwart of technology journalism who is passionate about all areas of the industry, but telecoms and mobile and home entertainment are among his chief interests. He has written for many of the leading tech publications in the UK, such as PC Pro and Wired, and previously held the position of technology editor at ITPro before regularly contributing as a freelancer.

Known affectionately as a ‘geek’ to his friends, his passion has seen him land opportunities to speak about technology on BBC television broadcasts, as well as a number of speaking engagements at industry events.