Following closely on the heels of its Picasa news, Google is offering a beta of Google Earth that--for the first time--includes a Linux version of the 3-D mapping and visualization program.
The new release is a beta of Google Earth 4, slated to be the next major revision. The release notes indicate simplifications to the user interface, support for textures on 3-D models, and the addition of new features to Keyhole Markup Language (KML), Google Earth's data exchange format.