Is there really nothing Google cannot do? This all conquering (seemingly anyway) company has grown from a humble startup to a mega-corporation today, and has placed itself squarely in Microsoft’s crosshairs as a viable target. The company does not seem to be able to do any wrong at all (although there were hiccups along the way), and their latest offering would be an enhanced flight simulator for Google Earth. Users at home will now be able to take part in scenic flights across the globe - all they need is a decent Internet connection and a controller other than the standard keyboard and mouse for a more enthralling experience. After all, flights using the software has already been one of its major entertaining aspects so there are very good reasons to come up with something with more substance.

An extra layer of realism was thrown in for good measure in this latest version of the software - you can now press Ctrl, Alt, and A keys to place yourself in a simulated plane, traveling across the continents in the speeds of either the Cirrus SR22 propeller plane or a General Dynamics F-16 jet fighter aircraft. I know I would choose the latter as I prefer to zip around the earth at a much faster pace than a turboprop could ever afford. Now if only Philips could come up with those monitors that not only offer Ambilight lighting solutions but the ability to throw some breeze in your direction as well for an added touch of realism.

While this feature is definitely interesting, seasoned flight sim buffs will probably skip this one as it doesn’t even hold a candle to Microsoft’s own offering. After all, Google’s version offers extremely basic controls and a basic video that does not go beyond that of an actual flight, small cockpit windows and all. I did give this a shot and found it pretty challenging to keep my aircraft up in the sky - thank God there aren’t any adverse effects when I crash! Hopefully future iterations of this project from Google will inject a higher degree of realism, as the current version allows users to fly through buildings (an anti-terrorism mechanism perhaps?).

Source: TG Daily