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Bing Maps' traffic cam views let you preview your commute
When you switch on the traffic layer in Bing Maps, you'll now get a lot more info than color-coded route details. On top of letting you know how bad (or good) traffic is along your route, Bing allows you to see where traffic cameras are for a look at that commute. You can also check multiple cameras at the same time if you want to take a glance at the places where you typically encounter delays along the way. Like Google Maps and other navigation apps, Bing Maps already let you know if you should expect a backup, and now you can take a look at the congestion, or lack thereof, for yourself with this latest addition.
Bing Maps adds trip-planning tools and easy access to reviews
If you prefer Bing Maps as your go-to navigation tool, the software's preview version received a big redesign. Focused primarily on helping you plan trips, a load of new features aim to make it easier to search, view and share multiple destinations easily. Bing Maps Preview will pull in reviews and photos from Yelp in its search results, so you'll have quick access to suggestions when traveling in an unfamiliar locale. When it comes to planning an evening out, for example, there's a new card-based format to keep each stop a few taps away. For those entries, hours, useful details and similar options nearby are all included. Bing also employs predictive routing to help you determine the best time to head, showing you what traffic would be like for a specific time of day.
Uber picked up some of Bing's mapping tech and employees (update)
It turns out that Uber's desire for mapping tech didn't really stop with Nokia's Here maps. The ride-sharing platform just picked up a portion of Microsoft's Bing maps technologies and about 100 of Redmond's employees as TechCrunch tells it. The way that TC describes the deal, the employees that Uber is absorbing were responsible for putting image data into the search engine (aerial, 3D and street footage, apparently) and the folks'll likely be doing the same task at their new employer. What's that mean for you? Well, that the map display in Uber's app is probably going to get a bit more detailed now, hopefully making it easier for your driver to figure out exactly where you are. Nah, they'll still likely drive around in circles while you watch in frustration.
Bing Maps spices up more than 100 cities with 3D and Streetside views
Bing Maps just got much, much better if you're tired of looking at plain old satellite pictures. Microsoft has just added either 3D maps, Streetside views or both to more than 100 cities, many of which you'll definitely recognize. You can now see what it's like on the ground near the Chicago Theater or San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge; if you have the Bing Maps Preview app for Windows, you can go on a 3D flight through famous places like Disney World or the Las Vegas Strip. You'll want to hit the source link for the full upgrade list, but most of the additions are in the US. If you've wanted to tour America from the comfort of your couch, you're going to have a field day.
Microsoft kills off 'Streets & Trips,' hopes you'll use Bing Maps instead
Microsoft MapPoint has been around a long time. How long? So long that a stock-image search pulled up this gem from 2005 -- a photo of "Streets & Trips" running on a Pocket PC. In fact, the mapping platform is even older than that: It was first created by a company called NextBase in 1988, which MIcrosoft later acquired in 1994. Incredibly, it's lived on, even long after people stopped storing maps on CD-ROMs. Finally, though, the software is going the way of the floppy disk: The company has discontinued MapPoint, Streets & Trips, and AutoRoute, with users encouraged to use Bing Maps instead. And, ya know, that kind of makes sense, considering CEO Satya Nadella only yesterday posted an open letter describing Microsoft as a mobile- and cloud first company. Somehow, knowing Engadget readers, we suspect this won't affect you much, but in the event that you do still use Streets & Trips, you'll continue to have support through at least July 2015. After that, you may need to get with the times. Image credit: Associated Press
Bing Maps Preview now lets you explore more cities in 3D
Microsoft's been hard at work on enhancing the Bing Maps experience within Windows 8.1, and it all started with the release of a preview application last year. With one of the focus areas being 3D exploring, Bing has announced that Maps Preview can now provide a 360-degree view of 15 more cities, both from the US and abroad. Here in the States, this includes Montgomery, Alabama; San Francisco, California; Tallahassee, Florida; and Seattle, Washington, to mention a few. Meanwhile, in Europe, Bing has added 3D mapping access to Duisburg and Dresden in Germany, as well as Marbella and Murcia in Spain. The Redmond-based outfit says we can expect the list to keep growing, too, as it is always working to support additional places.
Bing Maps Preview showcases new mapping experience 'built from the ground up' for Windows 8.1
Microsoft's been busy overhauling its Bing Maps experience for Windows 8.1 and, today, the Redmond giant's posted an app preview to its Windows Store. Users running that latest OS build can download the Bing Maps Preview to check out the sweeping, hi-res imagery, from satellite to street view, of our world. It's the Bing version of Google Earth, and it's just a taste of "what's to come" as Microsoft is only making 70 cities available for view in the preview. But all those petabytes of data aren't just for show, the new Bing Maps is designed to dynamically adapt to your orientation, with overlays for information on landmarks, businesses and other places of interest. Microsoft's even built in what it's calling "bubble view," which allows users to get a street view preview while remaining zoomed out on the map. This being Bing, search and Skype (enabled via Snapview) are both integrated into the app, so you can look up and make calls to highlighted addresses, as well as map out directions to destinations. The preview's live now, so you can hit up the source to get a first look at this new Bingified world.
Bing Maps adds 270TB worth of Bird's Eye imagery, its largest update yet
If you thought the 215TB of satellite imagery Bing Maps added last year was hefty, think again. In what is the largest installment of Bird's Eye shots yet, the mapping folks in Redmond piled on a whopping 270TB of high-res flyover images to their database yesterday. Some of the more notable (read: gorgeous) additions include overviews of Rome and Milan in Italy, Stavanger in Norway and Kaanapali in Hawaii. Aside from the new visuals, Bing also added a couple of improvements to its Venue Maps with an expanded points of interest list and a new "Report a problem" system so users can inform Bing if a location is marked incorrectly. So go on, head over to the source, select any of the amazing locales and take a little free trip to the other side of the world.
Bing Maps revamped with ocean topography, updated satellite imagery
Ballmer and Co. have loaded up Bing Maps with yet another batch of images, and though they're staying quiet about the update's file size this time, they say it includes 13,799,276 square kilometers of fresh high-res satellite shots and a better view of the ocean floor. Brand-new "straight down" photos give the base map a resolution of 15 meters per pixel, and the introduction of bathymetric imagery changes the ocean's hue depending on its depth. The refresh even contains fewer clouds, giving users a less obstructed view of Earth. Thanks to additional aerial photos covering 203,271 square kilometers, Microsoft's map service now covers the entirety of the US and 90 percent of Western Europe with pictures taken from aircraft. Armchair cartographers ready to explore the world remotely can find the revamped visuals already baked into Bing Maps online and within the service's Windows 8 app.
AccuWeather launches for Windows 8, lets you know if it's dry outside the Metro
So you're finally getting that Surface tablet (or a Windows 8 PC of choice) and have decided that a basic weather app just won't do it justice. AccuWeather agrees with you -- after months of supporting the Windows 8 preview editions, it's formally launching a weather app that takes advantage of Microsoft's completed Metro Windows 8 interface in all its widescreen glory. The title both provides near-obsessive detail about the climate as well as the requisite live tile for an at-a-glance check. You also won't have to resort to the web to find out if it's raining in your neighborhood: a Bing Maps radar overlay shows if it's safe to leave the umbrella at home. The app is free to download, which makes it entirely too easy to check the weather through Windows instead of the window.
Bing Maps piles on 215TB of new Bird's Eye imagery, proves it's a small world after all
Did you think Microsoft was done with Bing Maps updates after it threw a whopping 165TB of satellite imagery at virtual explorers? You've got another thing coming. The mapping crew in Redmond has thrown another 215TB of data over the fence, this time targeting its Bird's Eye views. Most of the attention is on Australia, Europe, New Zealand and Tokyo, although Microsoft has seen fit to sharpen up some of its US visuals in the process. All told, there's over 88,800 square miles covered by the new and updated aerial shots -- enough to make sure that we'll never have trouble finding Cinderella Castle at Tokyo Disneyland.
Bing Venue Maps gets global-sized update, makes Euros' shopping trips easier
In case you thought all those 165TB of satellite shots would slow down the Bing Maps updates -- think again. And while this one might not be as loaded as the aforementioned goods, the latest refresh to Redmond's mapping service is likely to make at least a few shopaholic Europeans very happy. To make things short, Microsoft -- in partnership with Nokia -- is taking Bing Venue Maps over to the Vieux Continent, boosting the total number of mall-friendly maps to over 2,700, and making it more than 30 countries in which the offering's now live. For those unfamiliar with Venue Maps, the service allows you to find stores, bathrooms and even ATMs located within a good amount of shopping malls across North America, Europe and Asia. Even better, you can see if your favorite spot is one of them at the source link below, where you'll find the full list of venues supported.
Bing Maps gets another 165TB of satellite images, Google Earth seen sulking in a corner
Thought that Google had cornered the market on free, overhead-view photo mapping solutions? You clearly don't reside in Redmond, because Bing Maps' aerial image library just got another 165TB worth of hi-res data that covers an additional 38 million square kilometers of the globe. To put that in perspective, Microsoft's mapping solution previously had but 129TB worth of such eye-in-the-sky imagery, so this new batch of satellite shots more than doubles your viewing pleasure. Go ahead, check out all the new visuals at the source link below, we promise not to tell the folks in Mountain View.
Windows RT on Snapdragon S4 hands-on and Rob Chandhok interview (update: video)
We just got a hands-on demo of Microsoft Windows RT running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 development tablet here at Computex 2012 in Taipei. The verdict? It's smooth as silk on a 1.5GHz dual-core APQ8060A with 2GB of RAM, which means it's likely to be even more impressive on the company's quad-core offering. We got to see SkyDrive photo sharing between a Nokia Lumia 900 and the Windows RT device, showing that both WiFi and 3G connectivity are fully supported. Ditto GPS -- with Bing Maps purring along nicely. Most interesting, however, was a demo of Vendetta Online which ran without hiccups even when multitasking along with other apps. We asked about battery life and benchmarks -- especially when comparing Windows RT to Android -- but sadly Qualcomm doesn't have any numbers to share. The company's focus is clearly on working with Microsoft to streamline the new OS for the Snapdragon platform, and from what we saw today, things are making great progress. Take a look at our gallery below and hit the break for our hands-on video and interview with Rob Chandhok, President of Qualcomm Internet Services.
Nokia has its wicked way with Bing Maps, stork delivers traffic advice and geocoding
We already knew that Nokia had been running its fingers through Bing's map-like hair, marking it with its scent, now it's added a little lipstick to its collar. The latest addition to the Microsoft-mapping service now uses Nokia's live traffic and geocoding algorithms. This brings the functionality of Nokia's "Where" platform over to 24 nations (including the US, UK and Canada) of Bing users. Best of all for American maps that info also covers side streets. Good to see the Nokia / Microsoft collaboration yielding ever more fruits, let's just hope they're considering the bigger picture, too.
Microsoft adding Nokia branding to Bing Maps
Noki-soft? Micro-ia? The madness continues! Nokia front-man Stephen Elop let it be known that his company's moniker will be making its way to Bing Maps in the near future, and he's not just talking about on the desktop. During a CES interview with Pocket-lint, Elop explained that any "property" utilizing Microsoft's Bing Maps service -- including mobile platforms -- will be co-branded with the Nokia logo. "We are clearly placing a bet on the Windows Phone platform; they [Microsoft] are placing a bet on our location-based platform," he said. The CEO cited BlackBerry as a non-Windows Phone device that will see the Nokia tattoo in its Maps app -- RIM recently announced its intention to integrate Bing Maps at the OS level. No word on when Microsoft branding will make its way onto Nokia software... oh, wait a minute...
Microsoft launches ExcelMashup.com, looks to make spreadsheets both hip and exciting
Most of our day jobs aren't nearly as amusing as life at Wernham Hogg and Excel doesn't make things any more exciting. But, if you're looking to spice up your spreadsheets, Microsoft's ExcelMashup.com may be just what you've been waiting for. The site lets you create apps of your very own using Redmond's various products. For example, you can combine some Excel JavaScript, a workbook stored on SkyDrive and a little HTML to create apps that run in a browser. Add a dash of Bing Maps and you've got a Destination Explorer! For the uninitiated, there are tutorials and for the showoffs a shared code space. There's even nifty Interactive Code Snippets for trying out bits of script before adding them to your own project. Want to make the cute girl in reception notice you? Coding your own apps in Excel won't help, but it'll probably land you in less trouble than putting Gareth's stapler in Jello again.
Bing Mobile updated, news and maps get minor facelifts
How can you "be what's next" without having what's next on your phone? Bing is here to help you fulfill its tagline by updating its mobile site for any device that runs HTML5. If the update had a highlight reel to show off the newest features, here's what would be on it: a carousel-like interface in the news section that lets you swipe your finger left or right to switch to other categories; maps that show directions together in split-screen format; a search history complete with trending topics; and the ability to share images and links on Facebook. The new enhancements are now available to iOS, Android, and BlackBerry, so it's an easy jaunt over to your browser to check it out. Or, if you're reading this on your phone, give the ol' More Coverage link a quick tap.
Bing's detailed mall directory maps improve Paul Blart's livelihood, should be on mobile
Mall maps integrated into an online mapping system? It's not exactly a minty fresh concept, but Microsoft has managed to seriously up the game with its Bingified mall directory maps. These zoomable, highly detailed maps help you see the layout and store count at a glance, with each click inside of a store yielding an exact address, phone number and links to 'Directions' / 'Send to Mobile.' Heck, you can even use 'em to discover the best place to park. Only problem? They aren't exactly mobile friendly just yet, which all but defeats the purpose. Except, of course, if you've got the photographic memory that every stressed-out college student in existence longs for. Hit the source link to see if your nearby shopping complex is one of the 22 listed -- if not, you can only pray that it's added prior to December 24th.
HTC Merge accessories in the wild -- nope, still not official yet
Here's what we know about the HTC Merge: it's also been known as the Lexicon, it's a dual-mode phone with GSM and CDMA heading to Verizon, it's got a slide-out QWERTY, an 800MHz processor, Bing and Bing Maps (a popular trend these days), and now we know, too, that it has a Body Glove snap on cover available to protect its metallic exterior. Here's what we don't know: why no one's yet to officially acknowledged this phone.
