In another attempt to beat search engine specialist Google Inc at its own game, Microsoft Corp launched MSN Virtual Earth, a mapping service linking the Web search engine and the Web log programs of the software major.
Through the service, available at www.virtualearth.msn.com, users can get aerial views of states, cities and towns, along with the road networks and travel-related information. Virtual Earth also allows users to search the map for any particular business, as it combines the information in Yellow Pages and White Pages directories.
“When you’re in an unfamiliar city and need to find a nearby Chinese restaurant or ATM within walking distance of your hotel, a traditional Internet search experience won’t give you the visual location-specific information you need. MSN Virtual Earth provides a deeply immersive search experience that let’s people see what it’s like to be in a location and easily explore what they can do there,” said Stephen Lawler, general manager, MapPoint business unit and MSN Virtual Earth, Microsoft.
According to Virtual Earth marketing director Tom Bailey, the results don’t give to the point accuracy but are located within a 250-meter radius of the location being searched for. Travelers to areas unknown to them can make use of the service to find nearby restaurants, businesses, schools and utility establishments. “The real key for us is to deliver a really rich, immersive, local search experience that causes people not only to stop by, but really begin to use this in their day-to-day life,” Bailey said.
The site comes complete with a ‘scratch pad’ to make notes about various establishments in a certain area. On the scratch pad are tools that can help a user blog or email his or her notes while using the service.
Besides the tools options is also another option called ‘permalink’ which stores the details of the search, complete with the scratch pad notes, on a certain URL. There are tools to either bookmark the permalink on your computer, email it to yourself or copy to clipboard for subsequent returns.
Even though Google’s map service offers more features, a unique feature on Virtual Earth is the ‘locate me’ tool. This tool, using either IP address or an installed location finder, can pinpoint your exact geographic location. The location finder is more accurate since it uses WiFi access points and the IP address to find where your computer is located.
In its beta version, the Virtual Earth can provide information only about US locations. However, the company said it is working towards taking the service worldwide.
The Microsoft announcement comes a month after Google Inc launched Google Earth, a free-of-cost download that helps users close in on satellite-based street maps. Using Keyhole technology, Google Earth allows users to set up their own maps. Microsoft has also offered the same option.
“It’s a really interesting time for mapping. This is the second wave of mapping on the Internet. The Internet, broadly speaking, is moving in this direction of more and more rich visual information. And that’s what maps are part of,” said John Hanke, general manager, Keyhole unit, Google. The search engine specialist had acquired Keyhole last year.
MSN Virtual Earth can be found at http://virtualearth.msn.com, Google Earth can be found at http://earth.google.com so you can compare the two.
