Microsoft Bing Map Beta with new web mapping features launched

In a desperate move to play catchup with its fierce competitor Google, the US-based software giant Microsoft has launched Bing Map Beta, its answer to Google Maps.Bing Map Beta comes with many minor upgrades that consist of detailed views of streets and new multiple applications, such as tweets and traffic data.

Microsoft’s Bing Map Beta, which is very much like the hugely popular Google Maps, comes with many applications which are not present in Google Maps.

Though you can’t but notice the striking similarity between the two softwares, the small tweaks Microsoft has introduced in Microsoft Bing Map Beta shows Microsoft’s determination to beat Google in its own arena.

Microsoft Bing Map Beta’s Streetside feature, which is almost the same as Google Maps’ Street View feature, offers users to take a virtual walk through any of the city streets using a 360-degree angle of viewing.

Microsoft Bing Map Beta relies on Microsoft’s Photosynth technology, which is essentially a feature whereby many photos are integrated into a 3D montage, and the users, while viewing the photos, get a virtual feeling that they are walking straight through the photos.

Another interesting feature that Microsoft Bing Map Beta offers is the Bird’s Eye feature, which aims to give users an aerial view of a selected location. Depending on whether the user is viewing an urban or rural one, the Enhanced Bird’s Eye view will be adjusted automatically.

Also, Bing Map Beta’s most useful feature could well be Entity cards. These are box like information capsules, which appears on the top of the users’ screen when they search for a particular place or city. The boxes contain all the information about that particular place.

The main drawback of Microsoft’s Bing Map Beta, reports say, is that the users will have to install Microsoft Silverlight 3, another Microsoft software, and the Streetside view is not as comprehensive as that of Google Maps.

Though it remains to be seen whether Microsoft’s Bing Map Beta will help the company to gain market share against Google, it should be said that Bing Map Beta is a commendable effort on Microsoft’s part.