Microsoft to reveal virutal earth for business
Link: Microsoft to reveal virutal earth for business
Microsoft, the world’s largest software company, is planning to reveal its “Virtual Earth” site in the US this summer.
Users of “Virtual Earth” will be able to search their local areas for a range of amenities, including shopping malls, cinemas and small businesses that do not have their own website.
The results will appear as photographs and maps, which will pinpoint the exact location of the business. The images are taken at a 45-degree angle, giving more information than the traditional birds-eye views used on similar sites.
Similar services are expected to soon be available in the UK. A lucrative market for this sort of online information is expected to develop as the web replaces paper directories.
In the US, Yahoo! Maps is already available, allowing users to locate a cash machine next to a location, such as a restaurant, that they are planning to visit. Online retailer, Amazon’s A9 service matches business listings with photographs of shop fronts. This enables users to take a virtual walk down the high street.
Google is planning to release Google Earth shortly, which is considered to be the main rival to Microsoft.
Many of the new services will gain revenues by allowing local businesses to advertise on the sites.
Mobile phone operators are developing similar services, which will provide customers with a combined atlas and Yellow Pages.
