Windows Live Local SUV spotted in Sacramento

Leave it to Redmond to ante up with a big, gas guzzling SUV for its "street-side view" purposes. Recently caught cruising in Northern California, this hulking Chevy makes Immersive Media's Google fleet (family mini-van and college grad's first car) look pretty tame. Now if only they could snap more pics of Ballmer pulling this face. Take another look after the break.

[Thanks, Gabriel H]

[fli @ Jun 21st 2007 4:09PM]

nice truck

[MrGam3r @ Jun 21st 2007 4:26PM]

The little wii cars that are gonna be traveling around in Canada are better.

[MrGam3r @ Jun 21st 2007 4:30PM]

(link)

[g.hojman @ Jun 21st 2007 5:52PM]

When I pulled out of the gas station, I literally stopped in the middle of the turning lane while cars were coming up behind me. It really was a stroke of luck to be right there and then. Sorry about the thumb, I'm not good and holding a camrea phone while driving at the same time, which is probably illegal in Cali now, right?

[Khris @ Jun 21st 2007 4:15PM]

Too bad it's got Microsoft written all over it.

[Anton @ Jun 21st 2007 4:17PM]

Google ftw!

[Anton @ Jun 21st 2007 4:17PM]

I kind of prefer Google's version though, nice and simple...
Microsoft's version seems a bit over the top...

[kp* @ Jun 21st 2007 4:17PM]

Looks like it has Minnesota plates.

[bombastinator @ Jun 21st 2007 4:57PM]

Yes. Yes it does.

The plotter cut graphic stickers look pretty randomly slapped on too. It's a pattern one sees on race cars and what not that are being sponsored. The idea is to provide maximum advertising value for a given logo. this thing was designed as much to have pictures taken of it as the reverse.

Possibly even more so. I don't see much shock mounting on those cameras. California is not known for its obsessive attention to road repair.

[Rolf @ Jun 21st 2007 7:08PM]

yes, MN plates. I saw a truck just like this driving around Bloomington, MN just by my workplace yesterday.

[bombastinator @ Jun 21st 2007 5:14PM]

I looked up the web site on the side. Apparently these are the guys who have been putting cameras on cabs in New York, so apparently the camera set up is for-real.

Seems odd to do it such an expensive way this time when the company already is set up for a more cost effective method.

[Chris @ Jun 21st 2007 4:17PM]

Who names a truck 'Padme'?

[Rugrog @ Jun 21st 2007 4:51PM]

Really... how embarrassing for the driver.

[Andir3.0 @ Jun 21st 2007 7:58PM]

Oh, I thought it said "Pay Me". It seemed more fitting.

[pagercam @ Jun 21st 2007 4:19PM]

This page shows their image coverage:
http://facet-tech.com/SightMap/Intersection_CoverageMap.htm
1.6 Billion Images!

[billflu @ Jun 21st 2007 4:21PM]

I saw a vehicle (I think it was a PT Cruiser) driving around with cameras on top of it today in Boston.

[Jordan @ Jun 21st 2007 4:23PM]

I actually saw a Suburban that looked exactly the same just a couple of weeks ago in Miami, FL. Sadly, I didn't have a camera to take a picture, but it looks like Microsoft is "street-viewing" Miami as well!

[michael @ Jun 21st 2007 4:32PM]

Actually, Windows Live Maps had a sort of "Street View" feature like thing for a long time. It's not perfected, and is quite, awful, but they had it since like 2005. If you want to try it out : http://preview.local.live.com/

So it's not a surprise to see them trying again. Hopefully, they'll actually do it right, and implement in the same format as Street View (instead of the way they did in that demo above). Live Maps is already awesome, and it would be neat if they could include this feature, and do it 10X better than Google.

[eggman @ Jun 21st 2007 4:36PM]

looks like a few people are getting in on this streetview thing. here is a photo someone snapped of another suspect vehicle

http://www.techscorn.com/2007/06/16/streetview-sub-contractor/

[Rich @ Jun 21st 2007 4:40PM]

Watch out it might crash

[Oscar5453 @ Jun 21st 2007 4:41PM]

I work at google....and this is just MS being jealous and copying anything Google does.

LAME!

[ScOObyDoo @ Jun 21st 2007 4:47PM]

HAHA. Amazon A9 had streetview demo's 3 years ago.

[Mile @ Jun 21st 2007 4:50PM]

MS doesn't come up with new ideas - it just perfects them.

[Breakah @ Jun 21st 2007 5:09PM]

no you don't

[Dominic @ Jun 21st 2007 4:46PM]

Was it trailing the Xbox Live Truck in Sac from last week?

[BSharpe @ Jun 21st 2007 4:46PM]

I saw one in Miami, FL last week like June 12th. This thing is pretty impressive. Makes you not want to get into a fender bender and have to pay for any of those cameras.

[coolwubla @ Jun 21st 2007 4:48PM]

Why can't they just combine efforts. Doesn't this seem rediculous to anyone else?

[LukeA @ Jun 21st 2007 4:49PM]

Too bad they don't drive something more efficient.

[murray @ Jun 21st 2007 4:49PM]

They seem to have a variety of lenses up there, some of which look longish, suggesting they might provide a better zoomed view than google.

[wes_hickey @ Jun 21st 2007 4:51PM]

Saw this same vehicle in Houston, TX about a month or two ago

[Harshnator @ Jun 21st 2007 5:02PM]

Ever heard of Windows Live local maps..this thing came out long before google pulled out there streetview feature.....

http://preview.local.live.com/

[Neal @ Jun 21st 2007 5:12PM]

Actually it's not preview anymore - you can get to the live site at

http://maps.live.com - it also has a nice "birds eye" view I love in most major cities, taken from a few thousand feet up in an airplane, which looks down at about a 45 degree angle, rather than from overhead view. You can also use the N, S, E, and W on the compass to rotate the same view taken at different angles, so apparently they did multiple flyovers from each direction.

They even got a pretty good shot of Google headquarters ;)

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&ss=.&cp=q737pq4tsq1d&style=o&lvl=1&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=5848665&sp=Point.q73fvs4tspyq_1600%20Amphitheatre%20Pkwy%2C%20Mountain%20View%2C%20CA%2094043-1351%2C%20United%20States___&encType=1

[Mischa Lockton @ Jun 21st 2007 5:09PM]

Although google has grown so much,
they still use an efficient car.

FU microsoft, FUSUV drivers unless you really use that rig.

[Bob @ Jun 21st 2007 6:07PM]

Hey Hippie,

SUVs aren't destroying the world. A few gallons of gas here and there isn't going to make a damn bit of difference. Until we have a different energy source your hybrid is just as bad as my Ford F-150 (That I use as an engineer by the way).

[Mischa Lockton @ Jun 21st 2007 6:53PM]

Damn, Bob, you sure are ignorant. Until alternatives are truly viable, reduction in usage is the ONLY answer. Glad you use your Ford, but my hybrid puts out over 90% less pollutants as well as using far less oil and gas. Not to mention the trucks that run biodiesel

With so many morons so proud to actually flaunt their ignorance, I am feeling sorry for the children that inherit this mess. Everyone, buy a guzzler! Bob says it makes no impact!

[Ray-- @ Jun 21st 2007 5:26PM]

all I have to say is I hope they merge all these images they get with the Photosynth stuff... that would rock! OMG Go to street level and then start 3D navigating the area based on 1000's of images from all over the net...

[Tim @ Jun 21st 2007 5:35PM]

The truck appears to belong to Minnesota based Facet-Tech. Apparently Microsoft is using their Sight Map product: http://www.facet-tech.com/SightMap/SightMap.htm

[murray @ Jun 21st 2007 5:44PM]

They probably have a bunch of gear in the back, and maybe an operator sitting there, so the SUV is likely justified.

[Bob @ Jun 21st 2007 6:04PM]

Yeah you are right you don't hate Microsoft at all. With your "Leave it up to Redmond to ante up with a big, gas guzzling SUV."

Does Google's minivan run on giggles and smurf farts?

It is really necessary to bash a company trying to make online maps better. At the very least won't this competition force Google to do even better?

[Jared @ Jun 21st 2007 7:07PM]

Not only that, but the Google van definitely isn't "mini". It's looks more like a Chevy Astro, which gets a whopping 15 MPG.

http://www.theautochannel.com/vehicles/new/reviews/wk9542.html

[Scott M @ Jun 21st 2007 6:15PM]

A friend saw one of these near a golf course in Rochester NY a few weeks ago.

[michael @ Jun 21st 2007 6:23PM]

Yeah, people. I don't seriously see what's with the deal of yelling at Microsoft just because they're using an SUV. SUV's are still common today, and it's not like we scream at them for driving one. It's just an SUV is all. It's not like everyone in Redmond drives an SUV.

I bet if their was an Apple logo on a Hummer, you might say 'sweet'. It's still the same thing though.

[angelsvairwaves1 @ Jun 21st 2007 6:41PM]

Theres a hummer with an apple logo? Sweet!!!!!! send me the link!!! please!

[Googenheim @ Jun 21st 2007 11:58PM]

Ever See Deja Vu? Denzel Washington's Hummer in the movie is plastered with Apple stickers, I thought it was sort of comical when I first noticed.

[Matt McKaig @ Jun 21st 2007 6:25PM]

They've been driving around South Florida since January (33020). Saw them again last week. (33009)

[Mark @ Jun 21st 2007 6:39PM]

Go, Microsoft, go! Show that sissy Mother Nature who´s boss. Hybrids are for namby-pamby greenies. Real Nature-destroying men drive SUVs.

[angelsvairwaves1 @ Jun 21st 2007 6:42PM]

Wash your damn windshield

[Scott Trepanier @ Jun 21st 2007 9:21PM]

Mischa - While I appreciate your enthusiam for the environment, hybrids cause more damage than the marketing hype would lead you to believe. Do a little research - you'll be surprised.

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/Recorder/editorial/print_item.asp?NewsID=188

[TIMMAH! @ Jun 21st 2007 6:57PM]

What exactly is the whole point of street views anyways? I don't really see the cost/value proposition here for Google or MS. I guess it'd be useful to verify that you're not blowing up a Chinese embassy or something, but other than that what's the fascination with being able to see what on a street corner?

[Neal @ Jun 21st 2007 7:05PM]

You get that these are not MS vehicles right? They are contracters doing it for MS. MS is actually a very green company, their shuttle fleet all over the Redmond campus are all Prius', every office has a 'white' and 'other' paper recycle bin for each employee to use, all kitchenettes and cafeterias have seperate receptacles for plastics, foam products, paper, aluminum, etc.