Microsoft’s Bing just added a new beta feature for use today: Bing Maps. This new feature will certainly keep the google maps team busy with new competition in the market!
I’ve played around a little bit with the maps and it’s neat, although you have to install Microsoft Silverlight in order to use it. One of the neat features is how Bing Maps is building a 3-D model-type approach to the images it uses, giving different perspectives, models, and ways to view the map. Another great feature is the “What’s nearby” which allows users to see restaurants, hotels, and points of interest. My favorite feature, however, is how Bing uses Microsoft’s Photosynth technology which stitches photos together. This allows users to “dive in” to areas and experience them in a “walk through” environment.
There are, of course, several of Fenway Park, so you can check one Bing Photosynth example here (note: you have to have silverlight installed!).
As this is a beta product it will be interesting to see how Bing Maps matures. Right now the aerial photos Microsoft is using are out-of-date and Bing’s Streetside images are not as comprehensive as Google Map’s streetview. The gauntlet, however, has been thrown so there will be exciting enhancements to come from both Microsoft and Google in the upcoming months!
This edited post was first published on the MIT WebPub blog on December 9, 2009.