There is so much news about Google, I probably ought to add a category just for the company. Google's latest acquisition is a small firm that sells a relatively pricey 3D drawing and CAD package called >Sketch Up. It sells for $500.
It may seem like an odd choice, but apparently Google is going to find a way to incorporate the 3D drawing and visualization tools into Google Earth. You could sketch a new building and drop it into a Google Earth visualization of the actual site where it would be built.
Like Google Earth itself, there will probably be some limited free version, and a fee-based "pro" version.
No matter what you think about the company itself, Google is doing some interesting stuff with software, unlike Microsoft, who has not really been able to come with anything new in many years. Google is pushing "personal" software to entirely new levels, and while you may not like the way they do business, the company is forcing other companies to come up with new strategies and to adapt. That's a good thing. We need some fresh air in IT and software tools.