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MSN Virtual Earth to Take on Google

Posted by samzenpus on from the eye-in-the-sky dept.

Jim Bruer writes "Microsoft sends news today that founder Bill Gates has announced a MSN Virtual Earth service is to debut in the summer. The service is promised to provide: *Satellite images with 45-degree-angle views of buildings and neighborhoods *Satellite images with street map overlays * Ability to add local data layers, such as showing local businesses or restaurants The service will allow users to choose from a number of different data types plus allow people to contribute their own information."

11 of 408 comments (clear)

  1. All right! by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Interesting
    *Satellite images with 45-degree-angle views of buildings and neighborhoods *Satellite images with street map overlays
    So when can I import them into Sim City? (that would be a kickass version, esp. if it worked in real-time).
  2. Will they open up the APIs? by guyfromindia · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Via web-services?
    I guess not! Further, with google, you can do cool things like http://www.paulrademacher.com/housing/ and http://labs.google.com/ridefinder.
    I betcha MSN's service will not be that flexible. But, I guarantee that it will have all kinds of bells and whistles. (some may really like 45 deg tilt views).
    Right now, google works for me. Let's see how MSFT's presentation is, when it comes to fruit!

    1. Re:Will they open up the APIs? by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Interesting
      But, I guarantee that it will have all kinds of bells and whistles. (some may really like 45 deg tilt views).
      45 degree tilt helps. Just try to find the CN tower from a straight-down shot. It might be one of the tallest structures in the world, but on Google Maps its only really noticeable because of the shadow it casts.

      I'm no Microsoft fanboy, but competition is good. How much you want to bet Google comes out with something like this soon as an "optional view" or something?

  3. Re:either you are a leader or a follower by mgrest · · Score: 5, Interesting

    How very wrong you are. Being first to market is not neccessarily the best thing.

    You'll find that the people who make money are just fulfilling demand in an existing market, not creating new markets.

    This is, of course, based on the assumption that you measure the success of a company by how much money they make....

    --
    -- Matt
  4. Re:either you are a leader or a follower by ScentCone · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I'm reminded of the saying: "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
  5. Why is this one company again? by MosesJones · · Score: 4, Interesting


    I wonder where MSN got the investment budget for this, off Microsoft or via their own investment/R&D programme.

    I'm still very unclear why what Microsoft does in taking Office revenues and subsidising other elements doesn't count as cross-subsidy and thus be in violation of WTO rules.

    Anyone else have a clue?

    --
    An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
  6. Re:Better for spotting UFOs by deetsay · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Shockingly, Microsoft has removed the anomaly from their shot, disguising it to look like just another house!

    --
    "The looser the waistband, the deeper the quicksand", or so I have read.
  7. Re:either you are a leader or a follower by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    and it seems Microsoft are following, if you have to keep measuring yourself up, you have already lost

    Just like Google started the first web search eng... oops.

    Just like Google started the first online mappi... oops.

    Just like Google started the first online newsgroup sear.... oops.

    Just like Google started the first online image sea.... oops.

    Just liek Google started the first "local" specific content dir... ooops.

    Unless you're the innovator, you at somepoint must follow (including everyones beloved Google).

  8. Re:Better for spotting UFOs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    It's been shown that those are simply markers
    for the map. They are found all over the place
    dues east-west and north-south

  9. Re:either you are a leader or a follower by zero_offset · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Original innovator? Ever heard of Terraserver? Um, yeah... Microsoft did it first.
    (And it didn't look like ass, unlike the new non-MS site currently living at terraserver.com...)

    --

    Slashdot quality declines as the number of hot grits posts decreases. - Provolt's Law, Apr-09-2005

  10. 45 degrees? by should_be_linear · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Unless they invented semi-transparent-building-photo technology, I don't see how they will show any city downtown?

    --
    839*929