My Google Map Blog

Google Earth has consistently been improving on mobile devices over time and last year's update to version 6.2 brought a giant new feature to it -- KML support.

While Google Earth on mobile supports KML and KMZ files, there still isn't a native sync between your desktop and mobile versions of Earth. Here are some ways to help you load and view your favorite KML files on your mobile device.

First, of course, find and save the placemarks that you want to view into a KMZ file and save that file somewhere on your computer. From there you have three main options.

1 - Email

The easiest way is likely to just email the file to yourself, then open it from the email account on your mobile device. This should work on most versions of Android and iOS.

2 - Sync it to another application

If you use Dropbox or Google Drive, you can save your file in there, open that application on your mobile device, then have it open the KMZ file with Google Earth. On Android you can also use an alternate file manger such as "Astro" to save and open the file.

3 - Sync it via Google "My Maps"

This last option doesn't use Google Earth, but is a nice way to view KML content on the go. First, open Google Maps on your desktop and click "My Places" at the top of the left column. Create a new map, select the "Import" option at the top, and then import the KMZ file into that map. After you have saved the it you can open Google Maps on your device and choose the "Layers" button. Look for "My Maps" and you should find your new map in the list and can open it.

Google Earth on mobile is getting more powerful all the time, if for no other reason than because devices are becoming increasingly powerful with higher resolution screens. Google Earth on my Nexus 10 is stunning and will only get better as faster and sharper devices are released.

What is your favorite feature of Google Earth on your mobile device?

We've been big fans of Meograph since we first discovered it last May. Their "four-dimensional storytelling" makes it very easy to create digital stories that include audio, video, images, text and map them all as the story progresses.

Since their launch last year, they've added more than 26,000 users to the site who have created over 36,000 meographs. Even more impressive is that it has been used in over 1,300 schools and is growing by 30 percent each month!

To help generate some revenue from the growing service, Meograph is now launching some paid plans for educators, starting at $19.99/year. The plans include features such as ad removal, private sharing, class management and a few other items. Of note is that the free plans remain intact for everyone, whether they're in an educational environment or not.

All in all, it seems to be a nice way to handle the move to paid licenses. The free product remains available and feature-rich, but there are now some nice add-ons for those that use the product heavily in their classroom.

Congrats to founder Misha Leybovich on the continued success of Meograph! Try it out for yourself at Meograph.com, or learn more about these new educational features in this article on TechCrunch.