Windows Live goes Local

dualcore writes "PC Magazine is reporting that Windows is going live with a 'new online local search and mapping service.' The interface is pretty close to Google Local, but with subtle enhancements, such as right-clicking anywhere on the map brings up a context menu or the way you can click on a point on the map to select it for directions. The final word on which service is better remains to be seen but this competition will certainly benefit the end-users."

Comments

Cumbersome

[(1 -sqrt(5))*(2**-1)]

Playing around with it, I find it cumbersome compared to its Google analog; the drag behaviour, for instance, goes into a bizarre sticky mode.

Re:Cumbersome

[mikecito]

"Playing around with it, I find it cumbersome compared to its Google analog; the drag behaviour, for instance, goes into a bizarre sticky mode."

Well it probably gets sticky because you're playing around with it, a little too much. Some find it bizarre, others like it.

Re:Cumbersome

[SilverspurG]

Give them some credit. They're Microsoft. They're not as hot and agile as Google is. I think we should all congratulate Microsoft for a job well done and give them a fair chance at the future.

Re:Cumbersome

[TaylorTAP]

OK, why would I use this instead of Google again?

Let's compare a basic query from Google to MSN Lives.

http://local.google.com/maps?q=hospitals+near+stoc kton,+ca&hl=en
http://local.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&ss=hospital s&cp=37.953792~-121.290691&style=h&lvl=11&sp=aN.34 .143119_-77.915445_road%20lake..%20make%20up%20you r%20mind_

First off, Google's URL is MUCH shorter for permalink.

But the real guts to this query is in the results.

As you can see Google returns much cleaner, relative results and has more results too. Not to mention a COLORED MAP that is UP TO DATE.

Live doesn't even have my house built on their map and that was back in 1996.

This data is especially meaningful to me because a few weeks ago I got a call from a nurse that my Mom had had a heartattack and the hospital was St. something but thanks to Cingulars wonderful reception I couldn't make out what the lady said.

Luckily, I had Google Local and it returned the right hospital almost instantly and allowed me to get in contact with the nurse again to find out that she was going to be alright.

Now, looking for the nearest Pizza Hut isn't that big of a deal but when somebodies life is involved, I wouldn't trust any other search provider.

Bird's Eye view is amazing - just needs few tweaks

[tommers]

While the interface isn't as polished as Google Maps, the Bird's Eye View feature is just tremendous. I haven't found a single block in San Francisco that isn't covered and they all look really good. I can't wait for someone to write a GreaseMonkey plugin to tie this into Google Maps, since their hybrid view is still the best around (except when I want the higher resolution of Virtual Earth [in my area at least]).

And I'm not afraid to say: Wait to go Microsoft! They've created something very very cool that no one else has. While Google Maps and Google Earth were bigger steps in the evolution of maps, this is still quite a large one and I think Microsoft deserves more credit than they got when they first released Virtual Earth and probably more credit than Google FanBoys at Slashdot will grant them now.

That said, there are some annoying interface issues that make it less polished than Google Maps.

1. Dragging feels unnatural and gets stuck. I feel like I have to drag a little, let go, and then drag some more. Don't see what's wrong with the way Google and Yahoo do it.
2. While I can understand why you can't just drag around forever since perspective of the adjancent edges are all different, it would be great if they could make dragging between photos easier so I don't have to scroll up to the upper left to move up or down. Any thoughts on how this could be done more smoothly.
3. There address parsing isn't as good as Google Maps.
4. Even if it wouldn't be seamless, it seems they could still offer the option of scrolling around multiple photos in a mosaic format. Maybe they don't want to break the illusion that you are in this space by allowing you to have a mosaic view of all photos available in an area. Maybe someone can create this (though Microsoft will probably shut it down like Google shut down the Google Maps poster maker).
5. And obviously greater coverage would be much appreciated.

The draggable-maps may have just created interface expectations that can't be met with these photos.

The Siteseeing link from their blog is also very cool.

Worldwide

[Anonymous Coward]

For users outside of the US and UK Live Local is the better one. Google Maps/Local still ignores most parts of the world

Something weird...

[Bill Walker]

If you do bird's eye view for my office , there are tons of people in the street on 5th avenue. It's too disorganized to be a parade, and Madison has traffic on it, so it wasn't the blackout. There are also two circles of people in the northern part of the image. Anyone know what gives?

Cor

[tehshen]

Works for me with Galeon under Linux. Looks like we're not being ignored anymore!

Microsoft had maps online before Google

[everphilski]

...its called Terraserver, and it predated Google by a good many years...

-everphilski-

It does.

[chaboud]

I tried it with FF on Windows and IE. In IE, it feels great. With FF, it just sticks and sticks and sticks.

Re:Bird's Eye view is amazing - just needs few twe

[robkill]

And obviously greater coverage would be much appreciated.

The greater coverage will come as Pictometry scales up to fly over more cities. Their website mentions each pixel equates to roughly 6 inches on the ground. That's a lot of imagery to collect over major metropolitan areas. 8 bits per pixel, covering several thousand square kilometers at that resolution with 4 different viewing angles is a lot of data.

I'd like to see more geospatial information. Lat/Lon coordinates (at least WGS-84), height (ellipsoid or MSL), etc.

Bill Gate's crib

[mcguyver]

Bill Gate's huge pad. Neet.

Re:What I don't understand...

[CaymanIslandCarpedie]

OK fanboy.

This stuff just drives me crazy!!!! MS was the first to bring online sat images to the net by about a decade. Google copied the concept, but its OK because you like Google better and you think thier product is amazing while the way MS did it sucks. Now MS copies a minor thing like draging an image and its just wrong!

To me this is not just a Google Live/MS Live issue. Same for iPod fan boys who go crazy when another MP3 play copies the color of the case or some stupid detail, but its fine that Apple copied all the functional ideas from others.

Everyone goes on and on about how competion is good, but as soon as someone does something similar to one of thier little "pet" products suddenly its just horrible (even if thier "pet" product is just as guilty as others of copying others).

My complaint isn't about Google or any specific product or company. EVERYONE COPIES EVERYONE ELSE!!!! Thats it, and you know what? Thats a great thing! That lets everyone gain from incremental improvements that are made because of the cycle of copy and improve (or as others would say "embrace and extend").

Intellectually I'm sure we all understand this, but somehow once its "our" product being copied in some little way, we go off bitching about it. STOP IT!!!!!