Microsoft is trying hard to get feature-match with the many offerings of Google, and manages to check off a few with the introduction of Bing Maps3D, a Google-earth clone with surprising detail. After a small download you can browse fully textured cities, and integrate the data with other Microsoft Apps like the popular Photosynth. From Engadget:
Microsoft has done up a Street View-style canvassing of 56 US cities with cars that not only snap photos but include range-finding lasers to map out the architecture in 3D. The Silverlight-based viewer for this view (dubbed Streetside) is similar in interface to Google Maps, a tad slower, and rather visually impressive. In addition, Microsoft is leaning on its Photosynth technology to collect navigable panoramas of scenery and even building interiors. Finally, Microsoft has tacked on “apps” of sorts, little overlays that include traffic cameras, restaurants, a Twitter API and so forth.
