CNET News.com has some
info about Windows Live Local, a new mapping service from Microsoft based on Virtual Earth and poised compete directly with
Google Local. Microsoft will be one-upping the satellite views we've grown accustomed to by providing 45-degree bird's-eye photos taken by
Microsoft's fleet of supersonic spy planes a company called Pictometry's low-flying planes. They're launching with photo coverage of about one-fourth of the U.S., and the service will "enable users to create customized maps by adding user-created
pushpins, as well as annotate maps and share local search information
with others," and integrates with MSN Messenger so that multiple users can "simultaneously view and interact with the same map." A beta of Windows Live Local will be unveilled tomorrow, though no word on whether it will be a public or "managed" beta.
