Google Earth Arrives Inside Google Maps on the Web [Google Earth]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5525281/google-earth-arrives-inside-google-maps-on-the-web

Windows/Mac: Now you can navigate the world's terrain, great cities' buildings, and your neighborhood's restaurants in 3D, without having to install a hefty separate application. Google Earth has arrived in Maps in a new "Earth" view, and its pretty great.

Google Earth itself still has merit, mind you. The stand-alone application still supports KML files, ocean, sky, and even Mars views, historical layers, and that oh-so-nifty flight simulator, among other advantages. But if you're looking to get a new look at a destination—like, say, what that Eyjafjallajokull volcano looked like in less eruptive times—or skim an area with an angular satellite view, Maps' own Earth view is all you need.

Using Earth View requires the installation of a browser plug-in that is, at the moment, available for Windows and Mac. Chrome users may not need to install the plug-in, but I seemed to require it in Windows.

: Earthly pleasures come to Maps [Official Google Blog]