Microsoft does it again with Virtual Earth
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Google maps were at its best. Scanning satelite images, they provided us the best virtual maps ever made. 
Now Microsoft is not left behind.Microsoft unveils its Virtual Earth Product with a business touch to it. Microsoft had released a beta version of Virtual Earth , a web-based application that combines local search with maps and aerial photography in 3D format.
MSN has offered satellite imagery with maps with its local search results for quite some time. What’s different with the new MSN Virtual Earth is that, like Google Earth, the display is focused primarily around maps and aerial views. You can zoom in and out of maps or images, and drag the images around within the display. (Blah blah smae as that of Google maps).
The interface is pretty impressive (The last time I was impressed was with the Ajax based Image Search Interface of Microsoft). The interface revolves around "What" & "Where". It provides the feature of Scratch Pad,where u can save the info that u wanna have on that location. Now this Page is not saved in the sever for others to view (Huh Something different from Google) and has to be either book marked by you or can be sent as a mail.
The best thing to happen was the "Locate me" feature, which tries to tell you your current location based on the IP address. It is definitely gonna help many.
Guess for the first time Microsoft is opening up for other developers to use their product to develop different utilities and pages based on V Earth. Look into these features at Via Virtual Earth. You can also download the Location Finder utility which attempts to zero-in on your location more precisely, using WiFi access points and reverse IP lookups to determine your computer’s location. Microsoft Location Finder is free, and can be downloaded either by clicking the "locate me" link and clicking the installation button, or directly from the MS Download Centre. However, the beta launch of Virtual Earth has far fewer features than Google Earth, and lacks the smooth navigation and display functions that makes Google Earth so much fun to use. Although MSN Virtual Earth is clearly labeled as a beta version, it has many rough edges and feels like it was rushed into public view before being entirely ready for prime-time. Some way it looks more a computer game for me, which can be played oops watched through IE (No Firefox) and hefty plug ins which affects the performance.
Microsoft promises that the next beta release of MSN Virtual Earth will include oblique, or bird’s-eye, imagery licensed from Pictometry International Corp. that shows cities, landmarks and points of interest at a 45-degree-angle view. I expect that the next release will also include smoother panning and zooming capabilities, as well as the ability to tilt views—something that the current release doesn’t allow. The next release is scheduled for later this year.
One should appreciate the way Steve Balmer and his team is building the dream (and competition ofcourse). With its Motto as "Locate. Integrate. Innovate, it has to be really seen, if it is gonna beat ‘Dont be Evil’ motto of Google.
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