Google Earth Pro is now free • Hacker News Board

Re: Google Earth Pro is now free

#21

Post by atian » Sat, Jan 31, 2015, 7:30 AM UTC

userbinator wrote: post #4

I notice the link "grab a free key" leads to a URL ending with free_ trial .html, and that page is a form that asks for plenty of information. The lack of any justification for why something that used to be $399 is now free also feels a bit odd to me... like it's somehow implying that giving Google your name, company, phone number, and other information is, to them, worth more than $399?

no. what if you were making a product free that you no longer wanted to support?

remember: paying users expect support

a. make free without knowing who is using your project

b. make free with knowing who is using your project

Re: Google Earth Pro is now free

#22

Post by chrissnell » Sat, Jan 31, 2015, 8:17 AM UTC

Good, but it's still missing the one key feature that I really need: offline satellite imagery. I guide off-road driving adventures in the western deserts for groups of friends every year. Trip planning is done primary in Google Maps and USGS topos but I occasionally find myself out in the desert and needing to scout a route for a last-minute change but with no way of doing it without Internet and satellite imagery. Yes, it's possible to (legally) cache small amounts of imagery with the stock app but I really want the ability to cache larger areas at high detail. I would pay for this feature, up two a few hundred dollars.

Re: Google Earth Pro is now free

#23

Post by irq » Sat, Jan 31, 2015, 8:18 AM UTC

The picture in the page, btw, is of downtown Portland, OR. That's the Willamette river. A fun place to look at in Google Earth.

Re: Google Earth Pro is now free

#24

Post by gulfie » Sat, Jan 31, 2015, 8:25 AM UTC

yes, but when will it stop crashing?

Re: Google Earth Pro is now free

#25

Post by gcb0 » Sat, Jan 31, 2015, 9:18 AM UTC

superdude wrote: post #12

Years ago before I started at my current job some people had Google Earth (free) on their PCs. But then someone read an updated Terms of Use and determined that we actually needed to be using the paid version of Google Earth so many people had their copies removed from their PCs. Then around the time I started someone read an updated Terms of Use and it was determined that there was no problem using the regular versi…

nope. it is mostly because microsoft been offering those high quality aerial images for a long time on bing maps for free, but since nobody even know there is a bing map, it wasn't a threat. now somehow google feel they are gaining market and decided to counter attack.

Re: Google Earth Pro is now free

#26

Post by jhansen858 » Sat, Jan 31, 2015, 9:29 AM UTC

glad i just paid the $400 like a month ago.

Re: Google Earth Pro is now free

#27

Post by raverbashing » Sat, Jan 31, 2015, 9:35 AM UTC

gcb0 wrote: post #25

superdude wrote: post #12

Years ago before I started at my current job some people had Google Earth (free) on their PCs. But then someone read an updated Terms of Use and determined that we actually needed to be using the paid version of Google Earth so many people had their copies removed from their PCs. Then around the time I started someone read an updated Terms of Use and it was determined that there was no problem using the regular versi…

nope. it is mostly because microsoft been offering those high quality aerial images for a long time on bing maps for free, but since nobody even know there is a bing map, it wasn't a threat. now somehow google feel they are gaining market and decided to counter attack.

Yeah, too bad Bing Maps search is a bad joke. Really

You have to specify if it's a Address or a Place (if your initial search doesn't work, which is pretty much always)

Re: Google Earth Pro is now free

#28

Post by BrindsleyQuives » Sat, Jan 31, 2015, 10:06 AM UTC

mden wrote: post #3

This sounds really awesome, but does anyone have an explanation as to why they are doing it? Building something like Google Earth Pro must take many millions of dollars, so why would a company release it for free?

Arse-Sum!!!!

Re: Google Earth Pro is now free

#29

Post by tazjin » Sat, Jan 31, 2015, 10:21 AM UTC

raverbashing wrote: post #27

gcb0 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

nope. it is mostly because microsoft been offering those high quality aerial images for a long time on bing maps for free, but since nobody even know there is a bing map, it wasn't a threat. now somehow google feel they are gaining market and decided to counter attack.

Yeah, too bad Bing Maps search is a bad joke. Really You have to specify if it's a Address or a Place (if your initial search doesn't work, which is pretty much always)

Where I live (Stockholm) Google Maps has become completely useless at finding anything.

It used to be the case that you could search for the name of a store chain (e.g. Systembolaget - the state alcohol stores) and it would show some of their stores on a map around you, nowadays it picks some random one (never close to where you are) and displays that instead.

The same thing has started happening for lots of places that it used to find before, that are now seemingly just gone. In the meantime Apple Maps has been consistently improving and is now my go-to maps application on the phone.

Re: Google Earth Pro is now free

#30

Post by zytek » Sat, Jan 31, 2015, 10:35 AM UTC

chrissnell wrote: post #22

Good, but it's still missing the one key feature that I really need: offline satellite imagery. I guide off-road driving adventures in the western deserts for groups of friends every year. Trip planning is done primary in Google Maps and USGS topos but I occasionally find myself out in the desert and needing to scout a route for a last-minute change but with no way of doing it without Internet and satellite imagery.…

I use MotionX GPS and download data from MotionX Terrain maps (which are OpenCycleMaps), good for getting around where I live. You might check coverage on http://www.opencyclemap.org/