The beta version of Google Earth 4 adds a Drawing Tools toolbar:
* Paths (lines)
* Polygons (3D walls)
* Images
They describe it like this: The path and polygon drawing tools are now available in the free product. You can easily sketch figures on the imagery for richer annotations and can share these overlays as KML or KMZ files.
You can't upgrade to v4 from within Google Earth: you need to download it from here. After installation, your computer needs to be rebooted :(
Once you have v4, you can view historical maps. Garett Rogers of Googling Google reports that the beta also includes "4D":
Google skipped right past the third dimension and landed directly in the fourth (time) by offering historical maps on Google Earth. To use this new feature, expand the Featured Content -> Rumsey Historical Maps in the Layers panel.
The capabilities for markup were brought over from the Google Earth Plus version ($20). The timeline view was brought over from the enterprise ($30K and up) version.
Posted by: Matt Mason | Nov 13, 2006 at 07:18 AM
And now the features are free (for non-commerical use).
Posted by: | Nov 13, 2006 at 07:33 AM