The first time I saw Google Maps I was amazed. Between the fancy AJAX interface and high resolution satellite imagery hours vanished toward what felt like minutes.
Last night I took a look at Microsoft’s Live.com Maps. It seems they’ve been doing some updating.
The pictures below speak for themselves, and I’m not even including the in-browser 3D maps (yes I know Google Earth does the same.)
Google Maps (Click text for external link, images for zoomed jpg)
…
Still not impressed?
What if you want to see what the other side of the building looks like? Not a problem — Microsoft offers north, south, east, and west views.
To be fair, Live.com maps does not have footage for the entire United States. Some areas stink, still stuck with grainy B&W ariel images. However, this is hardly limited to major US cities. I was able to see my old small hometown in Wisconsin, the garden behind the house I grew up in clearly visible. Perhaps the demise of Bill Gates and his company has been exagerated.
Very cool. This will be fun to use for real estate research once they get more coverage. I already use Google Maps’ photos, but you can’t really get a sense of being there from an flat aerial view. I think those angled views will become very useful.
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Yeah, too bad it works only in the US. There ARE other people out there outside America, Google & Microsoft!
Too bad these are NOT current photos.
the one in my area is at least 3 yrs old.
They still have streets missing
Yeah, it doesn’t really matter whether you can get a different view on the picture or not, but in the pictures you showed, the goole pictures were of better quality anyway. Do these things even consitute Google Maps sucking? (Also you spelled arial wrong.)
I HATE GOOGLE MAPS!!!!!! IT IS THE WORST THING EVER!!!! IT NEVER WORKS!!!!!
My business shows on google maps on the wrong spot. I did everything to edit the place mark. Then I discovered I have to authenticate by pin. tried all the possibilities, nothing works. There is no contact options that work. So we are actually fooled. Google placed my business in there with the wrong info and I can’t do a damn ting about it.
Tanks Google Maps, great Job FF-ing up peoples Business information and not being able to fix or have fixed.
What good is the better photographs if I can not print them the birds eye view???
Google maps poor useless directions made me miss a job interview. GM says merge onto N. Hwy, I get to N. Hwy to a stop sign I can turn left or right. If I knew which way to go I wouldn’t need directions…how do you merge at a T shaped intersection. GM says turn on … street toward Jupiter st. Again if I knew which direction Jupiter st. was I would be familiar enough with the area to know where I was going. I had to stop twice to ask for directions, told them both I was following GM and they both laughed… last time for me GM. Sucker me once shame on you… but twice!
I agree that sometimes Google Maps SUCK like a giant vacuum cleaner.
SOME streets have EAST and WEST designations.
Google messes that up every so often.
Why just today, 5/10/2010, Google maps had me drive at least a half hour in the wrong direction. You owe me for the gas waste, Google.
[Oh...and this page is pretty screwy too in how it responds when the 'Submit Comment' button has been clicked.]
Google needs to set up some kind of online punching bag for when it pisses off users.
There are few irritations worse than those you can’t get an immediate remedy to. Such is the case with Google Maps. Google would be wise to wake up and redouble its efforts in making Google Maps something that actually serves the public well.
Love that you can see all sides of the building msn maps. Even though the images are not Hi Res.