Microsoft's Bing Maps May Beat Google

The beta version of Microsoft’s Bing search engine maps feature could well give Google Maps a run for its money, Jason Kincaid writes for TechCrunch. The new feature challenges Google on every front: Streetside, the answer to Street View, functions similarly but uses 3D modeling to provide a seamless user experience. And the map is fully integrated with Twitter and other apps—with more to come.

Kincaid is particularly taken with the Photosynth technology, in which multiple photos of, say, the Statue of Liberty are stitched together “to create a 3D environment that you can ‘walk through’ by clicking on each new photo.” And Microsoft says it’s “very open” to allowing third parties to develop Map Apps, like the “Today’s Front Pages” program that displays local newspapers. Only problem: At this point, Bing's photo coverage is very light compared to Google's. (More Bing Maps review stories.)