Windows Live Local SUV spotted in Sacramento
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted Jun 21st 2007 3:57PM
posted Jun 21st 2007 3:57PM
[Thanks, Gabriel H]
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nice truck
The little wii cars that are gonna be traveling around in Canada are better.
(link)
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?
Too bad it's got Microsoft written all over it.
Google ftw!
Looks like it has Minnesota plates.
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.
yes, MN plates. I saw a truck just like this driving around Bloomington, MN just by my workplace yesterday.
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.
I kind of prefer Google's version though, nice and simple...
Microsoft's version seems a bit over the top...
Who names a truck 'Padme'?
Really... how embarrassing for the driver.
Oh, I thought it said "Pay Me". It seemed more fitting.
This page shows their image coverage:
http://facet-tech.com/SightMap/Intersection_CoverageMap.htm
1.6 Billion Images!
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!
I saw a vehicle (I think it was a PT Cruiser) driving around with cameras on top of it today in Boston.
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.
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/
Watch out it might crash
I work at google....and this is just MS being jealous and copying anything Google does.
LAME!
HAHA. Amazon A9 had streetview demo's 3 years ago.
MS doesn't come up with new ideas - it just perfects them.
no you don't
Was it trailing the Xbox Live Truck in Sac from last week?
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.
Why can't they just combine efforts. Doesn't this seem rediculous to anyone else?
Too bad they don't drive something more efficient.
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.
Saw this same vehicle in Houston, TX about a month or two ago
Ever heard of Windows Live local maps..this thing came out long before google pulled out there streetview feature.....
http://preview.local.live.com/
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
Although google has grown so much,
they still use an efficient car.
FU microsoft, FUSUV drivers unless you really use that rig.
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).
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!
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...
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
They probably have a bunch of gear in the back, and maybe an operator sitting there, so the SUV is likely justified.
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?
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
A friend saw one of these near a golf course in Rochester NY a few weeks ago.
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.
Theres a hummer with an apple logo? Sweet!!!!!! send me the link!!! please!
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.
They've been driving around South Florida since January (33020). Saw them again last week. (33009)
Go, Microsoft, go! Show that sissy Mother Nature who´s boss. Hybrids are for namby-pamby greenies. Real Nature-destroying men drive SUVs.
I expect that the reason they're using the SUV is for the added height over other cars in the area.
"gas-guzzling SUV's"
Are you some sort of tree-hugger or something? its america, they can drive whatever they want, when they want.
Wash your damn windshield
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
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?
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.
I saw one of these in my neighborhood, but I couldn't fish my phone out of my pocket in time to take a pic.
I live in High Point North Carolina. A truck identical to that caught me pulling out of my driveway one day. I've been checking the live local site to see myself, but still no luck.
SUV are not destroying the planet (and the economy) but dumb people (and evil corporations) that buy it.
Sorry MS but i hate you so much!.
Looks like the 2005 Astro Van that google uses get 14 city/20 highway MPG (info from fueleconomy.gov), while the same year Chevy Tahoe is 14/19 MPG. Maybe we should check our facts before calling Microsoft global warming.
Do you guys also realize that those of you who drove by these vehicles will probably be able to see yourself when all of the images are uploaded? That's pretty cool!
I've seen one of these vehicles up close, and there are tons of cameras and servers inside. No way it would fit in a non-SUV.
The beauty of America is I can purchase what ever car I can afford and detail it however I chose, within reason.
tinted windows...shades...and a bandana...r becoming a necessity...
Absolutely ridiculous article. "Leave it to Microsoft." I'd expect that from an Apple site, but had hoped it wouldn't come to that here - so blatantly obvious.
As for those crying Microsoft copying Google, MS has been doing this since before Google released their street view. I was out working in the yard when they came by our house. Driver stopped, chatted for a few, then continued on. At the time he was just working Southern California - said he went wherever there were clear skies that day - Corona, Orange, Irvine, etc.
I'd love to see a company stuff the hardware that these trucks need in a Prius. If anything, this is a responsible use of the SUV. Yes it's killing gas more than any other car, but because it's filled, it is being used efficiently just like how a bus uses resources wisely when they have more than a few riders.
This is much better than the one man SUV usage you see on the way to work. Americans are so insecure about themselves.
Thanks for the post & pics! I added a thread about it on the Sacramento, CA Online Community located at http://www.sacforums.com
To all those people who are complaining about them using an SUV and not a hybrid:
The SUV is probably mandatory for all the stuff they have in the back.
and
Hybrids don't work.
Unless you drive them in low-speed environments or you do everything a hybrid owner needs to do in order to actually take advantage of the electric motor (coasting to a stop, slow acceleration), it's about as useless as a normal 2-door coupé.
Even though you use a hybrid, it only gets 45 MPG max as per the 2008 EPA measurements. A diesel-engined car is much more efficient, as they often achieve 70+ MPG. And, if you live in Europe, diesel is cheaper as well.
If Microsoft was using a diesel-based SUV, it would get a much higher MPG than a regular petrol-based SUV.
TL;DR version: Diesel is more efficient than any current hybrid petrol engine.
haha nice.. i saw the google astro van hauling @$$ through my best buy parking lot here in vegas last week.. it was pretty funny. the guy almost hit a few pedestrians
This SUV is a 2005 or 2006 Chevy Tahoe. I have a 2005. It has a V8 engine. It's a great SUV and the gas mileage is better than expected at 12MPG in town (sitting in traffic most of the time) and 20MPG highway. It's a great car for tall people. I am 6 foot 4 inches tall and find it hard to be comfortable in most cars because of the length of my legs. For me the Tahoe is the most comfortable SUV I could find.
I wanna know how many times this thing gets the BSOD and just dies hahaha