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Microsoft's Bing Maps May Beat Google

Innovative integration and photo features make beta worth a test

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 3, 2009 1:47 PM CST

(Newser) – The beta version of Microsoft’s Bing search engine maps feature could well give Google Maps a run for its money, Jason Kincaid writes for TechCrunch. The new feature challenges Google on every front: Streetside, the answer to Street View, functions similarly but uses 3D modeling to provide a seamless user experience. And the map is fully integrated with Twitter and other apps—with more to come.

Kincaid is particularly taken with the Photosynth technology, in which multiple photos of, say, the Statue of Liberty are stitched together “to create a 3D environment that you can ‘walk through’ by clicking on each new photo.” And Microsoft says it’s “very open” to allowing third parties to develop Map Apps, like the “Today’s Front Pages” program that displays local newspapers. Only problem: At this point, Bing's photo coverage is very light compared to Google's.

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A Microsoft vendor works on a laptop marked with the logo for Bing. (AP Photo)

Bing's Streetside. (Microsoft)

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COMMENTS

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Showing 3 of 13 comments

Jes

Dec 4, 2009 5:56 AM CST

OHMYGAWD! And the secret is revealed!!1!

professortech

Dec 4, 2009 1:32 AM CST

A Microsoft Parable - So Bill Gates dies and goes to the pearly gates where he meets St.Peter. "We usually don't do this" says Peter " But since youwere such a big wig on earth we are going to give you your choice of going to heavan or hell". "OK" says Bill "Lets check it out." So Peter shows him heaven - angels floating on clouds, playing harps, discussing philosophy and idly watching the galaxies rotate. "That's quite serene" says Bill "what about the other place?" So Peter snaps his fingers and suddenly Bill sees a scene of beautiful men and women frollicking in the nude, drinking wine, eating fine foods, and engaging in the countless pleasures of the flesh. " "I didn't think I'd make this choice" says Bill, "But I led such a boring life that I want to go to the second place." "So be it!" says Peter. He claps his hands and suddenly Bill Gates finds himself chest deep in boiling sewage with demons poking pitchforks at him and flames and brimstone pouring down on him. "What happened to all of the cool fun stuff?" Screams Bill to Saint Peter. "Oh, that" says St. Peter" That was just the Beta Test version" - and so it goes.

fancygapva

Dec 3, 2009 11:27 AM CST

It's a GOOD thing to have 3d images of everything/one available to anybody/time? Wonder how Erin Andrews would feel about 3-D peephole photos of her available? Slippery slope, my friends, slippery slope.

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social networking • Internet • Microsoft • digital photography • Google Maps • search engine • Twitter • beta testing • social media • Bing • Google Street View • Bing Maps review • Bing Streetside

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Microsoft's Bing Maps May Beat Google