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How to save $400 by getting Google Earth Pro for free
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Google Earth has been around for years, yet it still makes my jaw drop.
I mean, seriously, for centuries the only way to get a “bird’s-eye” view of our planet was to spin an actual globe. Now we can “fly” to any location and zoom all the way in from space to a couple hundred feet above real, satellite-mapped ground.
Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET
Most amazing of all, Google made this tool available for free. This despite an educational — and, let’s be honest, entertainment — value that’s virtually impossible to measure.
What you maybe didn’t know is that Google has long offered a Pro version of Earth as well, one that cost a hefty $399 per year. Now, however, you can get Google Earth Pro absolutely free.
First things first: The words “free trial” still appear in that URL, but as you’ll see when you click through to the sign-up page, “Sign up is no longer required for Google Earth Pro.” All you have to do is download the installer, run it, then sign in using your e-mail address (as your username) and license code GEPFREE.
Second things second: Do you really need this? Probably not, as Pro was created with business/enterprise users in mind — but it does afford some pretty cool extras not found in the free version, including:
- Advanced measurements: Measure parking lots and land developments with polygon area measure, or determine affected radius with circle measure.
- High-resolution printing: Print images up to 4,800 x 3,200 pixel resolution.
- Exclusive pro data layers: Demographics, parcels, and traffic count.
- Spreadsheet import: Ingest up to 2,500 addresses at a time, assigning place marks and style templates in bulk.
- Movie-Maker: Export Windows Media and QuickTime HD movies, up to 1,920×1,080-pixel resolution.
So, yeah, you could print ultra-high-resolution images of, say, your neighborhood. (The free version tops out at 1,000 pixels.) Or add high-def fly-over videos to your movies. Pretty sweet stuff.
And don’t overlook the huge thrill of scoring a $400 product for free. That’s always fun.
Ztylus
Bonus deal: Calling all iPhone 6-owning shutterbugs! Ztylus makes a really cool case/camera-lens combo, but it normally costs $100. For a limited time, StackSocial has the Ztylus iPhone 6 Case and RV-2 Smart Flip Lens Kit for $46 shipped, by far the lowest price I’ve seen anywhere. (Also available: the iPhone 6 Plus version for $69.)
Update: According to a very apologetic StackSocial rep, the iPhone 6 version of the case was also supposed to be priced at $69; the initial $46 listing was in error. Both versions of the case cost $69, still a decent savings compared with the $99.99 list price.
I’m loving the design of this: It’s a full-time kickstand case, but then you swap in the rotating lens kit (when needed) for four lens options: fish-eye, macro, wide-angle, and circular polarizer filter.
