On March 14, Google announced that they had acquired @Last Software, makers of SketchUp - a 3-D design program. You can read more about the acquisition here.

Unlike most Google products, SketchUp is not free. It costs $495, but you can give it a try with a free 8 hour trial version.

First there was Google Earth, then Google Moon. On Monday, Google Inc. expanded its galactic reach by launching Google Mars, a Web browser-based mapping tool that gives users an up-close, interactive view of the Red Planet with the click of a mouse.

The Martian maps were made from images taken by NASA’s orbiting Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor.

Google Mars doesn’t provide driving directions, but users can see the planet in three different formats: The Martian elevation map is color-coded by altitude; the visible-imagery map shows the surface in black-and-white pictures; the infrared map indicates temperature, with cooler areas dark and warmer areas bright.

Users can also zoom in on any of the three maps to view geographical features such as mountains, canyons, dunes and craters. The maps also pinpoint the locations of unmanned space probes that have landed on Mars.

The up-to-date maps even include the locations of the NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity, which have been exploring opposite ends of the planet since 2004, said Phil Christensen, an Arizona State University planetary geologist who operates an infrared camera on the Mars Odyssey. Arizona State partnered with Google to create the maps.

While countless Mars images are already available on the Internet - mostly through NASA’s Mars mission Web sites - the developers of Google Mars said this is the first time that members of the public can explore Mars on their own.

“The idea is to look at Mars and not think of it as a mysterious alien place,” Christensen said.

Christensen said the Martian maps would most likely be updated every few weeks.

Last week, another spacecraft, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, successfully slipped into orbit around the planet, joining the Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor.

Since the Reconnaissance Orbiter is the most powerful spacecraft ever to orbit Mars, Christensen said, scientists may eventually incorporate its data into Google Mars.

Last summer, the Mountain View-based Internet search engine unveiled Google Earth, a three-dimensional, satellite-based mapping service that allowed browsers to interactively explore their neighborhood or far-flung places.

Google Earth was followed by Google Moon, which showed the locations of all six Apollo moon landings.

Google launched its Martian mapping service on what would have been the 151st birthday of astronomer Percival Lowell, who studied the Red Planet for more than two decades.

“We hope you enjoy your trip to Mars,” Chikai Ohazama, a Google Earth team member, wrote in a blog posted on the search engine’s Web site.

Source: Forbes.com

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) wants to partner with publishers in the United States and United Kingdom to sell online access to their books, the company said on its Web site on Monday.

Google Book Search would allow publishers to set the prices for their books and make them available through a reader’s Web browser. Consumers would not be able to save a copy on their computer or copy pages from the book.

“It’s a way for publishers to experiment with a new method of earning money from their books in addition to those that already exist,” the company said.

Five major publishers sued Google last year seeking to block the company’s plans to scan copyrighted works without permission and derail its push to make many of the world’s great books searchable online.

Legal experts characterized that dispute as a new front in the battle over digital duplication of media including music, movies and books.

Currently, Google users can view parts of books or entire books if the copyright has expired or a publisher has given permission to do so.

The new service would be open to publishers in the United States and United Kingdom who participate in Google’s Partner Program and can prove they have the rights to sell online access to their books, Google said.

Source: Reuters

The past few weeks have brought us several new developments, rumours, and a new acquisition.

Screenshots of the long rumoured Google Calendar application have finally surfaced online.  The application is being called CL2.  A log-in screen for CL2 is available on Google, although you cannot yet access the application.  Those who have seen it thus far are very impressed, and it has sparked further rumours that Google may be able to compile a large events database with CL2.

A Powerpoint presentation shown at the recent Google Analyst’s Day meeting has mentioned a new Google product that is currently in development – Gdrive.  Gdrive is to be the ultimate online storage solution for individuals with unlimited capacity.  It will give users the ability to store information that they now store on their computers online so that they can access their files from anywhere at anytime.  It promises to be more secure than storing the files on your own computer.  A PDF Version of the Powerpoint presentation is available online.  The Powerpoint version was available for a short time before Google removed it.  The PDF Version is missing some important (and revealing) notes that were seen on the Powerpoint version. However, you can read others comments about it here.

On March 9, Google confirmed that they acquired the online word processor, Writely, another start-up company.  To many, this confirms the rumours that Google is developing an online office suite.

Google also confirmed that they are working on expanding the Google Payments/Purchases system.  So far, they have added purchase capabilities to Google Base listings.  With your Google Account, you can now purchase things on Google Base much like you can on eBay. Google also added another feature to the Purchases service, you can now leave a review of the seller.

And finally, Google rolled out a mobile version and Hebrew version of Google News.  Stay tuned for all the latest updates, news, and rumours!