Virtual Earth 3D Beta Launched

[Mr. Analog]

"Microsoft has announced the launch of Virtual Earth 3D. There are numerous screenshots to be seen, as well as a Google Earth comparison from Spatially Adjusted. You can read the Google Earth Blog on why he thinks it's not a threat to Google. C|Net's coverage and the official press release provide lots of concrete details of the product. You can also read more from the development side or see the CBS report on Virtual Earth 3D. My main gripe: Windows and Internet Explorer 6/7 only. From the official press release: 'When people visit Live Search, type a query into the search box and click the "Maps" tab, they get their search results in a map context that offers the option to explore the area using two-dimensional views (aerial and bird's-eye) or three dimensional models with Virtual Earth 3D. This new technology compiles photographic images of cities and terrain to generate textured, photorealistic 3-D models with engineering level accuracy.'"

Pictures

Comparison to Google Earth

[Shayne]

Another comparison to Google Earth

Curious to why all this development time was used.  How useful is this application for the average person?  I can honestly say ive never used google earth, but i use the map functionality a lot.  I did notice that Global uses Google Earth in its news program, maybe they license it?




Mod: fixed URL link

[Lazybones]

If you own a GPS fun or do GPS related activities it can be very very useful to visualize the location of things.