Microsoft debuted a true analogue to Google Earth on Thursday, launching a Bing Maps Preview app for Windows 8.1 that moves Maps into true 3D.
The new app, available in the Windows Store, even launches by zooming in on a 3D globe—the signature opening shot of Google Earth. From there, Microsoft maps fans can swoop down to street-level scenery, plot routes from one point to the next, or simply fly about the virtual Earth, with 3D terrain like mountains appearing as it normally would. Several world cities are also mapped in 3D, to splendid effect.
Several years ago, this would probably have put Microsoft on par with Google, prompting dozens of stories about how the two tech rivals were engaged in a heated race to virtually map the earth. Today, however, the new Maps, while visually impressive, probably is less of a utility then a curiosity.
MicrosoftThe new 3D maps view brings out the best of Stockton, Calif.
In fact, you should probably think of the new Maps app as a complement to something like the new Foursquare app for Windows 8.1: a preparatory guide to a local area, rather than a tool to haul around while actually out and about. As you might expect, you can search for specific locations, map routes between two points, and use the Microsoft “local scout” to look for nearby points of interest. Finally, Microsoft has integrated Maps with Skype, so there’s click-to-call functionality added, too.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Reported by PC World 9 hours ago.
The new app, available in the Windows Store, even launches by zooming in on a 3D globe—the signature opening shot of Google Earth. From there, Microsoft maps fans can swoop down to street-level scenery, plot routes from one point to the next, or simply fly about the virtual Earth, with 3D terrain like mountains appearing as it normally would. Several world cities are also mapped in 3D, to splendid effect.
Several years ago, this would probably have put Microsoft on par with Google, prompting dozens of stories about how the two tech rivals were engaged in a heated race to virtually map the earth. Today, however, the new Maps, while visually impressive, probably is less of a utility then a curiosity.
MicrosoftThe new 3D maps view brings out the best of Stockton, Calif.
In fact, you should probably think of the new Maps app as a complement to something like the new Foursquare app for Windows 8.1: a preparatory guide to a local area, rather than a tool to haul around while actually out and about. As you might expect, you can search for specific locations, map routes between two points, and use the Microsoft “local scout” to look for nearby points of interest. Finally, Microsoft has integrated Maps with Skype, so there’s click-to-call functionality added, too.
To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here Reported by PC World 9 hours ago.