SYZZYGY  Earthbrowser currently does not work, at least it's not working for me.

It's been working just fine for the past several months.

I wonder if there's a problem with Adobe Air which Earthbrowser uses.

I understand that Adobe Air has been glitchy in the past.

I contacted Earthbrowser's'developer about this issue but so far no reply.  
(Version 3.2.1)

THUS.SPAKE.Z  Earthbrowser has come a long way since I first checked out version 3 some time ago, certainly since version 2.

It's now smooth and stable, offers an extremely well rendered earth and has some terrific features i.e. major satellite orbits shown.

It's features are pretty easy to use. Earthbrowser is always interesting, I've never tired of using it.

The developer is quite accessible, being very responsive to input and queries; I've always gotten a prompt reply to questions.

He's another developer who's demonstrated that he really knows what he's doing. He's been around working on Earthbrowser for a goodly number of years and is very dependable and responsible, unlike many who offer their wares here at MacUpdate.  
(Version 3.2.1)

STROB  Very nice application. I own v2.10. This new v3 has better controls and has some additional options. However, there is a major difference which is not in-favor of this release. Version 3 uses 110%+ CPU when active and 60-90% while the window has the focus but is idling. Version 2 is much more responsive and efficient only revving up to 80-90% CPU during full animation and dropping down to nothing while idling. While the animation is not completely smooth in the older version it seems to be much more so than v3.

So as of now I can't justify upgrading. Maybe the developer can comment as to why version 3 seems a step backward in performance? Could it be Adobe Air?  
(Version 3.1.1)

ELPELSO  Version 3.1.1 gives an access -403 error when trying to download ?!?!  
(Version 3.1.1)

REDNAIL  Truly awesome software from a top notch developer.

3.1 gives you so much more and it's a free upgrade from 3.0.

Many companies would call this 4.0 and charge you for it.

(Looks over at Roxio and shakes fist) ;)  
(Version 3.1)

PLASTERPYRUS  I've been using EarthBrowser since it's beginning and I've seen it expand and get better all the time, and yes it is a bit glitchy at the time but the rendering using the New Adobe Air engine is a lot sharper and it's ability to zoom in and out without loosing its sharpness is quite dynamic considering how you can zoom into your location is awesome. I would love to be able to have a tear off window for the controls to be able to drag it to my second monitor and have it completely out of the way much more like pallets in graphic applications. And maybe also include glacier and ice-flow information from year to year. Anyway good work just keep on going it's an enjoyable ride that will just keep getting better with time.  
(Version 3.0.2)

TANKKNIGHT  This is really cool and fun to watch. Unfortunately it glitches and drags on my Quad G5 so I can't buy into it.   
(Version 3.0.1)

HELIOS9  I've been using Earthbrowser for a number of years and find it always fascinating and enjoyable.

The new version seems to have an expanded range of options, but I found version 3 rather glitchy and not at all as smooth running as version 2. But I expect any problems will be addressed in later versions.

Quite frankly, I find version 2 has a more well defined and graphically bolder rendering of Earth; I prefer that one and will likely just keep using my copy of version 2. I burned a dmg onto a CD for safe keeping, as well as put a copy onto my external hard drive for safe keeping.

There is a $10 off purchase price for upgrades, at $19.95.

You just click where it says "Upgrade Discount For v2.x Users" at the top of the purchase form at the Earthbrowser website, and enter your version 2 reg number and email address.  
(Version 3.0)

SLOB  First off, this seems to be a full price upgrade at no reduction. Next, you have to download, via a browser, Adobe Air to your system. This so you can then download the Earthbrowser software.

I put up with this out of curiosity, launched and found all my favorites unavailable with no obvious way to access them, no 'import settings' or anything I could find in the windows type menus.

Back to 2.11 and that's it from now on I guess.. but at least 2.11 still works.  
(Version 3.0)

THOMAS_U  Download is defunct, at least w/ Safari 3.1.1.  
(Version 3.0)

CBX322  Why should I use this instead of Google Earth and pay?  
(Version 2.11)

WZRDJR  Isn't this the product that after 10 years still doesn't use OpenGL?  
(Version 2.11)

SYZZYGY  EarthBrowser is a work of art, a brilliantly designed, fascinating and beautiful creation.

I've been using EarthBrowser for years.... it just gets better and better.

It's always interesting; it never gets boring. It also makes a wonderful gift!

Kudos to the developer for an extraordinary job.  
(Version 2.10.5)

BRUCE_Y  Just downloaded version 2.10.0 (of May 19).

WOW - the detail available in the zoom-in is amazing.

Very cool program.

I've been a registered user for a while, and recommend EarthBrowser to folks interested in globes (maps), geography, and anyone trying to get a better understanding of what our planet is.

This program also provides an easy to track storms (hurricanes, cyclones), temperatures, and other earth/weather events all over the globe.  
(Version 2.10)

DRG  I love this program, but ever since I got my new MacBook Pro, I get these red lines across all the continents that were formed as the earth first began spinning, and I have not been able to get rid of them. Any idea how to fix this problem?  
(Version 2.9.3)

RAY16  Thanks for the fixes, Earthbrowser is still great! It now has speed at Startup. The features are great. Earthbrowser for OSX should be for all Versions.  
(Version 2.9.1)

RAY16  Beware! Won't launch in 10.2.8, READ ME calls for 10.3, is there a bug???  
(Version 2.9)

RAY16  Even with a 500mhz chip,the App looks much better then before. Thank god for the speed tweak; that should be the first thing done for each new update at launch.......more speed.  
(Version 2.8.1)

ANONYMOUS  Mac OS X 10.3.9

Runs smooth, nice interface, nice maps & details.

- A bit clunky with options and settings. Get rid of the floating pallette and just add little icons to the main window instead.

- Some sounds for some of the disasters would be nice as they happen, too. Or maybe a newsclip from BBC/CNN about it would be even better.

Other than that, I watched it for a seconds, got bored and tossed it away.

But some of you may find this one handy or nicer than the rest. So check it out, beats staring at the clock while downloading.  
(Version 2.8)

PLANETEN PAULTJE  Now, that new ocean surface temperature feature is really nice. I'll be using that in my astronomy teaching :-).  
(Version 2.8)

PENNYHEAD  I have been using this app. for a few years and am very happy with it. If you are a fan of maps, weather and other geological happenings covering the entire earth, Earthbrowser will provide you with the information in a great way. The updating cloud coverage is nice too. You can also select from favorite views for quick access. Speed has improved which is a plus. It used to crash on my machine but I have not seen it yet.  
(Version 2.5.7)

NICK  Painfully--horribly--slow, even on my 1.5 gh 15" Aluminum PowerBook! I believe EarthBrowser was running faster years ago when I bought the first version, even though the Mac processor speeds have probably quadrupled since then. Still the interface has shown improvement and the resolution of the maps is noticeably better, but only somewhat and not as much as the author of this program would lead us to believe. Overall, the program is a pain in the butt to use since one has to have the patience of a biblical prophet to use it.  
(Version 2.5.6)

JVHVR  Splendid application, much to learn !

Sure worth the registrering fee !!!  
(Version 2.5.6)

ANONYMOUS  I have to say the demo runs so poorly, the mere idea of licensing this is ridiculous. I bought 1.x, and found no use for it. The latest version doesn't seem to be able to finish loading high rez textures. I can't imagine its going to run any better if I pay money for this experience. Please, fix the demo, limit the number of hours it runs in full feature mode, let us see what the hype is all about, then reduce it to its crippled state.  
(Version 2.5.6)

ANONYMOUS  This is interesting. I contacted the developer several months (probably years even) ago before 2.5 came out, complaining about these issues of speed and such. He notified me to just hold on, that an OpenGL implementation was on the way with 2.5. Not sure if it's happened yet but it sure doesn't feel like it.  
(Version 2.5.6)

MAC2ALL  Well do I agree with some that Earthbrowser might need a rewrite one cares about the design of the interface. (see the aforementioned 3D Weather). But Earthbrowser both improves all the time with new fetures and stability. Have to agree with the slowness of things, but after all, it might be quite a lot of info to contact and download, so...

With an old Mac one do not have an option, because :-) !!! :

Earthbrowser runs on slow G3 BW 350 mhz, while the other have entry point at 600mhz.  
(Version 2.5.4)

ANONYMOUS  MacKiev's 3D Weather Globe Application (http://www.mackiev.com/3d_globe.html)

2 thumbs up!  
(Version 2.5.4)

RHETT  This program may be feature-laden, but it's also horribly slow, outdated, and an insult to MacOS X's elegance and design. I agree with the person below who recommended MacKiev's 3D Weather Globe Application (http://www.mackiev.com/3d_globe.html), it's simply gorgeous and fits much more comfortably in MacOS X. It also runs much better, despite being much better looking. EarthBrowser needs a rewrite, clearly the developer has decided to let his application languish for years instead of giving it the update this fine program deserves.  
(Version 2.5.4)

ANONYMOUS  An alternative worth checking out is 3D Weather Globe from MacKiev. It is only available on CD so you can't download it. I have it and find it to be a bit more beautiful than EarthBrowser although perhaps not as fully featured. Definitely worth a look.  
(Version 2.5.3)

ZAK1974  My review below mentions a resizing bug that exists only in the PC version of the program. My apologies for not being strictly relevant to the Mac side of things. The Mac version handles windows resizing perfectly, including "mac-only" fullscreen mode.  
(Version 2.5.3)

ZAK1974  Yes you need a fast computer.

I have bought it and I like it much!

I have one negative comment, though:

why doesn't it remember the window settings? I like to run the windows maximized but it never rememers my choice!

And the weather banner repositioning is the most annoying! I put it into the right upper corner of the maximized main window, but when I close the program, and open it again - the weather banner is always hidden at the right, as if it still remembers it's absolute screen position, but the main window is normalized. Then when I maximize the main window, the banner moves on with it and stays hidden, probably because it moves with the main window's resize. Most annoying, please Mr. Developer, fix it soon! And the cache map loading at startup COULD be faster... Otherwise, superb proggy. Kudos!  
(Version 2.5.3)

DRG  Although you'd never know it from earthbrowser.com, if you own V2.5.x, this is a FREE download. Just download it from here and replace your old files with the new ones. Your serial number will still be seen.  
(Version 2.5.3)

ANONYMOUS  This is a great program for adults and children - very educational. Features a revolving globe with high-definition topographical maps; five day weather forcasts for thousands of cities; worldwide webcams; all live volcanoes with links to the volcano's website; all recent earthquakes with links to the fault's website; active cloud cover maps; identifies storms, fires and icebergs; weather data from bouys at sea; and active daylight/dark shading. I have had one buggy version back before 2.0, but never really any trouble out of this. I highly recommend it.  
(Version 2.5.3)

FREDG5LAN  I use this proggie since years in demo modus and bought it recently - its true one needs a fast connection and a fast mac like a g5 - but I also tested it on a pismo - its working fine there too- but slow....NEVER had a prob mounting a version after downloading !  
(Version 2.5.3)

ANONYMOUS  I've downloaded this issue twice and both times with a fatal flaw. Won't mount.

WTF?  
(Version 2.5.3)

JVHVR  I find it a very usefull and reliable programm, not only you have tremendious much data, ALL over the world, it's also an online application, and yes, you need a fast mac and an even faster connection to the internet, a fast broadband I would recommend !

Once you have this two indispendable things, also usefull for all other programms, it's a very good utility and the forecasts are very reliable.

The programm has mutch evolued troughout the years, and I hope the maps will still improve on detail !

One thing could be better: when viewing cloud animation, you don't know witch image is showing up, or what's the beginning of the "movie" or the end...

I use it all over the years to plan my hollydays, and I've never had any regrets on the weather I have there !!!

So buy it quickly, you would have a wunderfull experience.

The demo isn't much, because of the limited details of the maps, but the registred copy opens a world of difference !  
(Version 2.5.3)

ANONYMOUS  This application is a dinosaur and is long overdue for a Cocoa rewrite. It's slow, CPU hogging, and not all that pretty. The interface is also quite lacking, and features haven't changed much in the last two years. It wont take much for a competitor to come along and replace EarthBrowser.  
(Version 2.5.3)

ANONYMOUS  Unusably slow on my G4 iBook with 640MB ram.  
(Version 2.5.2)

ANONYMOUS  EULA? I d not think so. Go build programs for Microcrap! Not signing it not for some demo! Later!  
(Version 2.5.1)

ANONYMOUS  Is video hardware supported?  
(Version 2.1.3)

LEOOFBORG  I have to say that 2.13 is MUCH better than even the 2.x series. The release notes say improved networking and that's what I'm seeing.

This version, as far as speed goes is coming closer to EB 1.7. On my 1ghz TiBook 1.7 was wicked quick. This version is becoming 'snappy'.

While the author doesn't mention it, EB 1.7 -is- Carbonized and -will run quite well- on a Powerbook, even back to Lombard and Pismo (which I used to have w/ EB 1.7).

Perhaps the author should allow double licensing of 2.13 for the home desktop and 1.7 for a Powerbook?

He already might....this is a question for him.  
(Version 2.1.3)

ANONYMOUS  same problem : does not launch anymore since version 2.0.1 (crahs at startup).

Re-downloaded many times, same problem ( on 3 different machines : Powerbook G4 1.33, PM G4 933 and eMac 1.2).

We keep using version 2.0 consequently.... (weird ??)  
(Version 2.1.2)

ANONYMOUS  Was nice but is getting slow and last version does not even launch on my laptop (??!!).

"OSXplanet" is a free alternative, also worth a try....  
(Version 2.1.2)

CARMINHA  The demo is very good! Thanks :)  
(Version 2.0.2)

ZAK  too darn slow

otherwise, a real and a nice app.  
(Version 2.0.2)

MAC2ALL  There have been some whining about bugs with the 2.0 version.

But the 2.0 was very good for Panther os. The pre 2.0 versions crashed on me when i tried to check eartquakes and volcanoes.

- This completely vanished with v2.0.

Even better, v2.0.1 loads quite faster.

And yes, it is possibilities for improvements. But don´t forget that the SW developers also have to cope with the frequent OS updates, as well as improve the programs generally.

Have tried it since v1.3.5, and been a registerd user since v1.7. :-)  
(Version 2.0.1)

LEOOFBORG  I have to say that the author has been quite responsive to my points about registration bugs and dropped pref info. While EB 2.01 is still a bit sluggish for my tastes, -most- of the annoying bugs concerning loss of license data and settings have been fixed.

Hint to the other users having this and other problems. When you launch EB, hold down the 'd' key to flush your data.

All in all, 2.01 is a good update to the initial 2.0 version. The only app that could ever pass up EB for functionality doesn't exist. 'Earth' -- readers of Neal Stephenson's _Snow Crash_ know what I'm talking about -- would be a killer app. Until someone gets up off their duff and codes -that- we have the current best thing right here. EB is it.  
(Version 2.0.1)

ABBOTT SCHINDLER  Three months after v2.0 came out, I was eager to check see if 2.0.1 fixed the problems I (and apparently others) had reported. Sadly, none of the bugs I found have been fixed. The program still refuses to remember to show city labels and weather info between boots (OS X 10.2.8). Nor does it remember the state of the Favorites window. I think the biggest feature the author provided in this release was a Windows version. Not very useful to Mac users. And, like v1.x, you need to reenter your registration info after upgrading. I guess I need to cross my fingers for v2.5 or something. I'm glad I still have v1.7; it works great.  
(Version 2.0.1)

LEO OF BORG  I'm a registered user of this app (have been since 1.7). And I have to say this: Always compelling, but currently buggy.

I had the same experiences as the author below with no remembering citys, forecasts not refreshing, etc... in addition to-

For some reason, 2.0 does not hold my email or registration info, and I have to throw away prefs in order to get it to work again. I have to do this ever 24 hours, or whenever I shift from one LAN to another.

A related bug that pops up is 'could not connect to server, program will now quit' -- I find this annoying because Powerbook users like me d/l the info and run. I can't do this the way I did with 1.7. This is usually my first indication that my user info was dumped and I have to (1) Find the reg info, and (2) manually dump the prefs and register over again.

Finally, there is no more 'manual updating' feature that refreshes the data the way there was in 1.7. Consequently there are cases where the author recommends that you Quit/Restart the app 'and it should work'. Annoying.

Other impressions. This thing crawls on a 1ghz 1gig Ram 15" TiBook. 1.7 was snappier than this, and still lives on my drive.

My advice is, that if you're a Powerbook user you should be mindful of the above bugs before upgrading, and stick with 1.7. If you have a G5 at home that never changes connections, then this just might be for you. High to average marks for everything except stability -- it -really- irks me that I must re reg this app constantly.  
(Version 2.0)

ABBOTT SCHINDLER  I've been using EarthBrowser since its predecessor, Planet Earth. EarthBrowser v1.x were very good, reliable products. Based on that I upgraded immediately to v2.0. Bad move! Unlike v1.x, this version doesn't remember open windows when it quits (I like leaving my Favorite Views open). Also, I can't get it to remember to show weather and city labels between launches; labels are problematic. And you can no longer position the Tools window wherever you like. All in all, except for the vastly more detailed maps, I think this version actually represents a DOWNgrade from v1.x. Hopefully the author will release a fix soon (I've sent him my bug report).  
(Version 2.0)

MAX72118  This product brings the earth to life - creates a living map. Version 2.0 increases the zoom level of the maps (2km/pixel), adds lat/long grids, provides 7 day weather forecasts for your choice of 17,000 cities, country & state borders, tectonic plate boundaries and improved city handling. Plus all the webcams, earthquake and volcano links of the previous version. Granted that there is a $16 upgrade fee for version 1 owners, and about $30 for new owners. Map refresh also seems slower than it should as you zoom into a map. All in all, though, a truly great product.  
(Version 2.0)

DAVIDCRICKETT  This is such a disappointment. The developer promised the Earthbrowser to be here in the start of 2003, and now it's the end, and the rotating globe is still lagging and... and you have to pay an upgrade price of $16. No, the idea is magnificent, the progress on this thing is really bad.  
(Version 2.0)

ANONYMOUS  I was thrilled to see this released, quickly downloaded it and it's already deleted. It runs slower than my registered 1.7 copy and has virtually no new features that I care about. Even worse is the fact that there is no metion of an upgrade price and it now costs $30! Forget it. Version 1.7 is a great program and I still play with it once in a while, but   
(Version 2.0)

ANONYMOUS  This was a great product but is being made worse with time. There is still no openGL support, despite that being promised by the developer. As a result, the rendering is very slow. Interestingly enough, the manual claims that it uses an "advanced raytracing algorithm." Those of you with computer graphics experience know that raytracing is excellent for reflections and transparencies (which EarthBrowser does NOT have) but at the expense of being slow (which it DOES have).

The only new feature I have found is the addition of political maps and tectonic plate lines - very minimal.

And last, for all this you get to pay again. I can't find the upgrade price on their website so it looks like you have to pay full price again, even the registered users of a previous version.

All in all, I wouldn't pay for this. And I'd recommend that anyone looking at it also look at Celestia.  
(Version 2.0)

ANARCHY  Hey people, this isn't free to registered users of version 1.7! Expect to pay up!  
(Version 2.0)

WZRDJR  As a paid customer, I certainly hope version 2 has opengl support. Although it serves a different purpose than earthbrowser, CELESTIA's performance runs circles around earthbrowser.  
(Version 1.7)

JACKIE MANLEY  I have Earth Browser on my old Mac 7100 and I was the first caller to our local radio station with ithe information on the earth quake in upstate new york. It recorded the quake within min. Will send in my payment this week. Thanks for a great product!

An Old Lady with an Old Mac!!  
(Version 1.6.1)

ANDY  This program is truely superb, easy to use and billiantly implimented.

The only things I'd change would be the amount of scientic data, like adding weather front data, sea temps. etc  
(Version 1.6)

REUVEN  Best Screen Saver out there!  
(Version 1.5.5)

BRUCE DONAHUE  Absolutely Incredible.

Even if you don't care about the Weather, this is one of the BEST done PRGs of all time.  
(Version )

REUVEN ROSS  Excellent screensaver and great graphics  
(Version )

JOEL MUELLER  Cool program allows you to see LIVE weather in all parts of the world, and integrates many live webcams in major cities across Earth so you can actually view a live picture of that area. Check out places like Moscow or Hawaii!  
(Version )