Google Earth for iPhone, successfully brings the best free mapping tool on the planet to the Apple device

If you could spend hours gazing at the World through the eyes of Google Earth then perhaps it's time you installed the app on your iPhone. The application uses the same satellite and aerial photography found in the desktop version, only this time you navigate the globe simply by swishing your fingers across the screen.

It's advisable to have a look at the controls system in the program's Help section before you start using Google Earth on your iPhone, because some of the commands aren't immediately obvious. Once you've mastered them though, it's easy to fly across towns, cities and countryside using your fingers.

You can simply swipe the map in any direction to move around, pinch your fingers to zoom out, tap on a spot to zoom in, or make a circular motion with your fingers to rotate the viewpoint. You can even view the lie of the terrain just by tilting your iPhone.

Location, location, location

Make no mistake, Google Earth for iPhone is great for finding your way around. It can detect your current location and automatically centers the map on this point when you hit the Location icon. You can search for addresses anywhere in the World, as you would with the desktop version, plus there's a facility for perusing Wikipedia articles and geo-tagged Panoramic photos.

Google Earth includes the ability to view maps created on your desktop computer on your iOS device, which is a nice idea. The app also makes it easy to see businesses, shops, restaurants, etc. through some attractive icons.

Google Earth is one of those apps that really enhances the usefulness of your iPhone and as such it's almost criminal not to at least try it.