bing maps

Microsoft rolls out Windows 8 app updates ahead of time

Getting ahead of the game, Microsoft is now rolling out Windows 8 built-in app updates. This is weeks before the October 26 official unveiling of Windows 8.

In a blog post today, the software giant listed all of the additions and updates that Windows 8 built-in apps will be getting. Skydrive, mail, messaging, photos, maps, news, travel, weather, and more will get new features and performance and reliability improvements.

Here's more from Microsoft's president of Windows Steven Sinofsky:

We're super excited to be approaching general availability (GA) of Windows 8 and Windows RT. With thousands of new … Read more

Apple must declare Samsung not copycat

Thursday's top stories will fill you up on patent spats, better maps and creepy apps:

There's a laughable twist in the never-ending global patent battle between Apple and Samsung. A U.K. judge (the same judge that said Samsung's tablets were "not as cool" as the iPad) ruled that Samsung did not copy the iPad's design. But the judge also ordered Apple to publish a notice of this fact on its U.K. website and in British newspaper ads for six months. Awkward.

Nokia has promised "something amazing" to be announced Sept. … Read more

Bing Maps adds 165TB of new images of Earth

Bing is now offering 165 terabytes of new birds-eye-view satellite shots of locations all over the Earth, from the Moroccan Mountains to Egypt's pyramids of Giza to the Extraterrestrial Highway in the U.S.

This is Microsoft's mapping engine's largest satellite data release ever. Before today, Bing Map's total amount of data was 129TB. So, what can be seen on the search engine's maps has now more than doubled in size.

"This release features imagery over North America, South America, Africa, Australia, Europe and Asia," Bing wrote in a blog post today. "… Read more

Microsoft images used in Maps for iOS 6

Much ado has been made of Apple's decision to ditch Google's mapping technology in favor of an in-house solution for the Maps app in iOS 6. Yesterday's WWDC keynote failed to shed light on how Apple plans to accomplish that task, but an anonymous tipster leaked iOS 6 beta screenshots showing TomTom attribution information, later confirmed by CNET.

Also included in Apple's mapping initiative is OpenStreetMap and at least 15 other mapping data providers (AND, DigitalGlobe, Intermap, LeadDog, others).

While the attribution lists a number of map data providers, Microsoft is conspicuously missing. So how is … Read more

Nokia delivers live traffic, geocoding to Bing

Nokia has brought a couple of its location-based services to Bing Maps.

The company announced yesterday that Bing Maps users will now have traffic information available to them from Nokia's Where platform. Where is available in 24 countries, including the U.S., the U.K., and Canada. According to Nokia, users in the U.S. already had traffic information available to them, but this addition now includes support for side streets.

Nokia is also bringing geocoding to Bing Maps, allowing the platform to take latitude and longitude information, and connect that to a readable address.

"It's how … Read more

New Microsoft Web app showcases vivid aerial pics

Highlighting efforts to one day provide high-resolution aerial mapping of the world, Microsoft just launched a new Web application that showcases vivid photography of 153 spots around the country.

The detailed bird's-eye views, which Microsoft is calling Bing Maps GeoArt, are part of the company's Bing Maps Global Ortho project, a project to create a high-resolution, seamless mapping mosaic of the continental United States and Western Europe. To achieve the goal, Microsoft is spending north of $100 million, contracting with pilots to fly planes equipped with specially designed $1 million cameras that snap shots every few seconds to … Read more

Microsoft iPhone app creates panoramic photos

A new iPhone app from Microsoft can create full panoramas from a series of individual photos that you snap with your device's camera.

Compatible with the iPhone 3Gs and 4, the iPad 2, and the iPod Touch 4G, Photosynth is simple to use since Microsoft does most of the hard work.

You simply point your device at the subject and tap the screen to snap the first photo. The app then prompts you to position your device to take the next shot. You can then either tap the screen to shoot again or wait for the app to automatically … Read more

'The Hobbit' in 48fps

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded

Cisco Systems shuts down production of the Flip video camera

You can now rent movies in your browser through Vudu

HTC launches the Sensation with a video-streaming service called HTC Watch

Nokia releases two new phones with Anna, the newest iteration of Symbian

Sprint kicks off a streaming music service and store called Music Plus

Microsoft hopes to rival Google Maps Street View with Bing Maps Streetside, which has started image capture in London

The Firesay Firefox extension lets you use voice control in Facebook

Apple announces Final Cut Pro X

The upcoming … Read more

Microsoft's Streetside mapping arrives in U.K.

Microsoft has started taking photos in London for Streetside, its Bing Maps photo feature that will go up against Google Street View in the United Kingdom.

The Streetside feature will display street-level images collected using a 360-degree camera, the company said today. Mapping specialist Navteq--which is wholly owned by Nokia--has partnered with Microsoft and is providing the cars to take the 360-degree photos. As well as collecting images, Navteq will gather point-of-interest data such as where landmarks or pubs are located and other road and location information.

"Users should begin seeing [U.K.] images on Bing Maps from … Read more