Regarding the resolution, it depends on where in the world you are(relatively speaking, i.e., meaning in Google Earth), you get different resolutions. Google is trying to keep up and get current and good res. images everywhere. For now, the most populated places, and areas of high interest have the best images. Please note the two placemarks I have posted below. One is Buckingham Palace which you can see
PEOPLE. People aren't hard to see.
Now, I will give you this, some places still have cartoonish images, but they will eventually be updated. If you read their FAQ or check out
http://bbs.keyhole.com you will find that they are working hard to update images on a regular basis. You should remember that sat imagery is expensive and the service is free for those who don't elect to pay for it and use it's advanced features.
KMZ:
Buckingham Palace (See the people)
The Googleplex