Big Brother is watching you...

Microsoft has released a beta version of their answer to Google Maps, in the form of Windows Live Local. Considering that Google Maps is one of my favorite practical websites, it's quite a compliment to say that Live Local gives it a serious run for the money. The live scrolling of the maps and the aerial shots are equivalent, but Live Local adds one really cool feature -- the "Bird's Eye" view, which is a low-angle high-resolution satellite image. For example, check out the Google vs. Live Local shots of the Statue of Liberty:

Google Maps version:


Windows Live Local version:


The Bird's Eye images aren't available for everything (neither are the "normal" satellite images for that matter), but it's a cool feature that is sure to keep growing. Even for those images that are available, don't expect up-to-date stuff. My neighborhood, for example, shows up with images that are a couple years old, judging by the lack of certain landscaping features. Google's are even older, and definitely fuzzier and more distant. Still... it's cool stuff. Perhaps a bit scary... but cool!