Just as many anticipated for quite some time, Google just released a free Google Earth app for the iPhone and the iPod Touch, available for download at the iPhone App Store.

The service represents a great success for Google and it was clear that the company had to develop a portable version that users will be able to carry around. Aside from the general release, the service had to find its way to one of today’s most popular phones, as this had to be one of the few areas remaining unaddressed in Apple’s App Store.

The description offered by Peter Birch, product manager for Google Earth, was simple and clear, as users will have to simply "swipe [their] finger across the screen and… fly to the other side of the globe." The viewing angle can be easily adjusted by tilting the device and when users will pinch their fingers together, they will be able to zoom in and out. He also stated that even though it’s small, it manages to bring all of Google Earth’s power, including the global imagery and 3D terrain.

"Even before we introduced Google Earth back in 2005, the team had long dreamed of being able to carry the Earth around in your pocket," he added.

Google Earth represents one of the company’s biggest hits, with more than 400 million downloads so it was clearly just a matter of time before the app came out. What could be considered strange is the company’s decision to release the app before completing the work on the one for its own Android operating system. For now Google did not make any announcements about its release and is probably waiting for the iPhone users’ feedback in order to make the needed adjustments.

There are certain issues with the new release. The app requires network access to load the satellite imagery, so using it through a roaming service will be rather costly. There is also the possibility of accessing the app without the network access, in airplane mode, but the zoom-in process depends on the previously cached maps. Also, the responsiveness could use a bit more work and the graphics fluidity is not at its best.

Still, the app opens the door to all of the service’s features, providing a great and useful experience. Users will be able to search for an address, a certain route or a location using the virtual globe and the multi-touch display will make things even easier.

"Besides being beautiful, high-quality pictures, they're specifically of places, so you don't have to see some guy's family on vacation in Thailand -- you can see the beaches, the temples, all the things that give you a real sense of the place," explained Peter Birch in his blog post.

The new app for the iPhone is available in 18 languages and 22 countries and we’ll just have to wait and see if the Android version will present any differences or if the company decides to keep everything going as it is.