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Home / News / Fully Charged: Google Earth Pro drops its huge price tag, the Game of Thrones season 5 trailer, and Amazon’s Echo gets smarter

Fully Charged: Google Earth Pro drops its huge price tag, the Game of Thrones season 5 trailer, and Amazon’s Echo gets smarter

All the news and videos you need to give the week a proper start

Google Earth Pro goes free

Google Earth offers a rather amazing way to learn about the world, but if you think the basic service is advanced, check out Google Earth Pro. It lets you print out high-resolution images, measure buildings in 3D space, and even snag HD video clips of your “virtual flights,” says the company.

And now you finally can check it out sans the usual gargantuan price tag. Originally priced at a fee of US$399 (about £265), it’s now available totally free going forward. You’ll still need to snag a key to use the upgraded service, but it won’t cost you a penny to dive into the stunning scenery and soak in the sights of the world. Enjoy.

[Source: Google]

READ MORE: How to make Google Cardboard from scratch

Game of Thrones season 5 trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDb4sJVK2wU

The limited-run Game of Thrones screening on IMAX screens began last week, and with the final two remastered episodes of the last season came a trailer for the upcoming fifth season. A fuzzy, off-screen version leaked last week, but HBO has since released the proper clip online, which you’ll find above. At the risk of avoiding spoilers, we’ll say no more. Don’t watch unless you’re fully caught up!

[Source: YouTube]

READ MORE: Game of Thrones plotting limited IMAX run this month with remastered episodes

Amazon’s Echo gets a big update

Amazon Echo

We just posted our review of Amazon’s odd, intriguing Echo home companion/speaker gadget this weekend, and we found its intelligence to be a bit limited. But that may already be changing for the better, as Amazon has just issued a noteworthy update for the unique device.

According to ZDNet, the update makes the voice assistant faster and more accurate, allows stronger usage of Wikipedia to pull up facts, and expands its dictionary for spelling and providing definitions to words. And usefully, you can now control Spotify, Pandora, and iTunes music (via iOS or Android devices) using your voice with the Echo. Sounds helpful, indeed.

[Source: ZDNet]

READ MORE: Amazon Echo review

New Jurassic World trailer

We’re just hours removed from the Super Bowl, the final game of the National Football League season in America and a guaranteed spectacle every year. And this time around, via one of the many commercial spots shown between the action, viewers were treated to a refreshed look at this summer’s Jurassic World.

Admittedly, the first trailer had some rough-looking elements; admittedly, this one’s also not devoid of them. But it shows a little more of what to expect from the storyline, and maybe the silliness won’t end up being a bad thing. We don’t know for sure yet, but if you want to see more of Chris Pratt in his latest starring role, hit the clip above.

[Source: YouTube]

READ MORE: Lego Jurassic World and Marvel’s Avengers games will turn blockbusters into block-busters

Profile image of Andrew Hayward Andrew Hayward Freelance Writer

About

Andrew writes features, news stories, reviews, and other pieces, often when the UK home team is off-duty or asleep. I'm based in Chicago with my lovely wife, amazing son, and silly cats, and my writing about games, gadgets, esports, apps, and plenty more has appeared in more than 75 publications since 2006.

Areas of expertise

Video games, gadgets, apps, smart home

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