Microsoft is embracing one hundred percent on Silverlight.
Microsoft has released a beta version of the company map service, Bing Maps, which the company says will be the biggest update to the service for several years.
Microsoft will actually now use a set of technologies and solutions that the company long ago has shown up, but only now has begun to approach what Microsoft calls the quality of production. This includes not least, Photosynth, a solution that enables you to stitch together photographs so that together they can be turned into a kind of three-dimensional model.
The new Bing Maps is completely based on Microsoft's Silverlight technology, which allows fewer browsers can be used than with the current solution. This is done to provide the functionality the company to Cnet News claims that are not possible with Ajax-based web applications.
It is especially zooming and transitions from maps to aerial photography of street images now works considerably smoother than for example Google Maps offering. When, however, first has come down to street level, work experience rather similar in the two services, although there are some detail differences. At the same time varies the experience very from place to place. Microsoft definitely focused on American cities.
Bing Maps still has a level of detail called Bird's Eye, which is slanted images of sites from four different directions. Google offers something similar only in certain contexts, for example in connection with Google Building Maker.
Microsoft also uses these images, together with the stereoscopic data, to view 3D models of buildings in what is called Urban View.
Mentioned Photosynth is now fully integrated with Bing Maps Beta, so that among other things, user created image collections that have been geotag, will now appear in the correct location in the map. One must certainly first start Photosynth application, which is one of several additional features that are now offered in Bing Maps Beta.
Microsoft Bing Maps Beta. The picture is from Seattle, right near the Space Needle. Here's "What's nearby" application enabled.
These extra functions offered through what is called the Application Gallery, where there are applications that offer different kinds of information are combined with maps. These may include display traffic information, overview of activities or sculptures that exist along a given road. The gallery also includes an application that is integrated with Twitters new geoposition functionality.
More about the news of Bing Maps Beta can be found in this blog post.
