One of the most interesting things that happened at Google's I/O conference today was the launch of Google Earth browser plugin.
This doesn't mean that Google Maps is on its way to the dustbin just yet. Google Maps will not serve Google Earth's imagery; it merely gives developers a way to build mashups using Google Earth, too. And it means we'll be seeing a lot of cool 3D geomashups (remember, Google Earth is 3d, Google Maps are 2d) in the future.
The really cool thing is that you can turn existing Google Maps mashups into Google Earth mashups using a single line of code. Of course, Google Earth API lets you do stuff you couldn't do with Maps: you can control the camera, create lines and markers, add polygons, as well as import 3D models and overlay them anywhere you like. Google Sky is also available, which I'm sure will result in some nifty space mashups.
The plugin is already available for installation at Google Earth API official site; you can see an introductory video below.