Windows Live Local
Microsoft finally joined the online maps party late last week with the release of the beta of Windows Live Local. So, how does it compare to the competition (Yahoo! Maps, Google Maps)?
Google Maps is still the best. But, Live Local isn’t that bad! It has great up-close satellite imagery but in some cases uses some older maps, which is strange because I was under the assumption that Google and Microsoft both used the same satellite image sources. Live Local also has a slick AJAX-based interface. The biggest annoyance is that Microsoft opted not to connect the bird’s eye images (regular satellite imagery is connected). Therefore, when you’re in bird’s eye mode you cannot just click and drag with your mouse! You have to select which square of land you want to look at.
Another great feature of Live Local is that it saves your searches. You might forget that you’re using an application that’s served on the web when you use it! As an example map, click
here to see Bill Gates’ estate in Bellevue, Washington.
Am I going to use Live Local regularly? Yes, in combination with Google Maps and Yahoo! Maps. Google does everything Live Local does a little smoother and faster, Yahoo! has the live traffic feature, and Live Local has the bird’s eye images. I’m going to use Google Maps first, then Live Local, and rarely Yahoo! Maps. Never Mapquest.
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