Google Earth vs Google maps

This week I explored Google Earth. I downloaded the (free) program, and used it to see Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Tegucigalpa, Honduras (the Honduran capital), my parent's house in Colorado, and find directions to Neah Bay, WA from my house. Then I compared doing those same activities in the standard Google Maps available from the main Google page, both in the map view and in the satellite view. Both have their advantages and disadvantages:

• Google Earth gives a smooth "flying movie" look to traveling to a particular spot. It also offers a way to change the point of view. Google Maps is much jerkier, like a series of photographs.
• Google Earth gives great, building-level detail for Santa Cruz, Bolivia, and links to actual street-level photographs. Cool! Google Maps doesn't give nearly that level of detail and blanks out at a certain point. Neither one gave any detail for Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
• Both gave good directions from my house to Neah Bay, including the ferry ride, but Google Maps was easier to read by far than Google Earth.
• Both gave identical satellite photos of my house, late in the day in spring.
• Google Earth gives users a neat way of labeling personally important locations and sending them to or sharing them with other users.