Photos: London, Paris and New York get 3D Google Maps treatment on Android

Take a tour of some of the world's greatest cities courtesy of the Google Maps upgrade...

Google has added 3D functionality to its latest release of Google Maps for Android devices, with more than 100 cities around the world - including Barcelona, London, New York and Paris - covered in the updated application.

Shown above is the new app running on a Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet PC with London's River Thames and South Bank - including the National Theatre and Royal Festival Hall - shown in 3D.

Here's a 3D portrait view - again on the Galaxy Tab - of the area of London around the silicon.com offices, with the Tate Modern art gallery shown on the right by the Thames.

In order to access the 3D view, users must drag two fingers down the screen to tilt the image. To see how all the touchscreen gestures work, check out this video of 3D Google Maps in action.

This screenshot is a 3D view of the Houses of Parliament next to the River Thames on Google Maps.

Further east along the Thames, here's what the Tower of London looks like on the Android app.

Once in 3D mode, users can manipulate the screen to fly around the three-dimensional objects. Shown above is another view of the Tower of London from the opposite angle.

When Google Maps is in compass mode, it rotates to show which way the user is facing with their device.

Buckingham Palace can also be viewed in 3D. However, some landmarks, such as the BT Tower and Eiffel Tower, aren't shown as 3D objects.

The 3D functionality of Google Maps on Android is available for other cities around the world, including Paris.

Shown above is the Arc de Triomphe and the many roads that converge on the iconic landmark.

And here's the famous Notre Dame Cathedral on its island in the middle of the River Seine.

Barcelona is another European city with landmarks that have been given the 3D treatment. This is the Olympic stadium on Montjuïc, used for the 1992 summer Olympic Games and originally built for the International Exposition in 1929.

And on the other side of the pond, New York City can also be viewed in 3D, with the Empire State building - left - looking particularly impressive on the Android app.