Stephen Chinnadorai

I’m a Google guy — like most of us, I have been using Google as my search engine for everything: Information, images, news, and maps; until now.

Microsoft’s previous MSN search was not impressive at all, and their new Live Search is nothing compared to Google. However, their Live Maps feature is quite an improvement over what Google is currently offering. 3-dimensional bird’s eye views are available on Microsoft’s map service. I actually found that, although the interface is not as smooth being web-based, it provided better images of my area than Google Earth.

I also noticed that Google has done a terrific job of “Street Mapping” major cities in the US, but not much else than central London is in street view in the UK. If Google can learn from Microsoft’s bird’s eye view, they would have the perfect service.

Although I still prefer Google’s interface, and compatibility with other browsers like Safari, Microsoft have done a decent job with their new maps feature. I’m still going to be using Google for everything, but I may check back to Live Maps for more detailed bird’s eye views.