Well, it may not be new news, but I'm too busy to stay on top of every emerging technical artifact. If you are a mapquest user, shame on you. For some time now the beta version of Google Maps has been up and running, and if you don't like the idea of using a beta then they've launched they're latest version of Google Local which is their Maps interface tied into their Local service.
Not a fan of Google? Well Microsoft just jumped on the band wagon (AJAX band wagon that is) with their new Windows Live Local which is so close to being a clone of Google Maps that it is scary. Sure I'll admit that they have added their own little tools and tricks, but it has the stench of sweaty Microsoft researchers spending the greater part of last year digging through Google Maps. But that's just my opinion.
Don't forget the 3rd party in the web big brothers, Yahoo!. They've been beta testing the newest round of Yahoo! Maps that definitely has it's UI similarities to Google's Maps, but you better be a fan of Macromedia Flash. Let's just say that Yahoo! is trying to help Macromedia stay afloat with their idea of rich Flash web apps being the alternative to the newest wave of AJAX development.
Sure Mapquest is still out there and even working on a beta of their own, but I have yet to see a dragable map from them, then again, with so many other easy to use cool map services online I haven't really spent much time with Mapquest. Maybe they're further along than I realize, but you won't catch me using them for my next road-trip.
Until next time
Les
December 8, 2005
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Hi Les - You might like this demo I made of Google Maps and Yahoo Maps side-by-side. A good way to explore the differences in aesthetics and performance -- http://sidebyside.ning.com
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