Microsoft switches UK Mapping to Multimap.com _#

Oh dear. What have they done? Microsoft have put a redirect in for UK users from their usual mapping site maps.live.com to MultiMap.

MultiMap is a new acquisition of Microsoft, and for those unfamiliar it's an awfully ad-laden website with nowhere near the features of maps.live.com. Users are truely peed off that they've been relegated to this lower quality website.

While MultiMap brings across Bird's Eye view from its Live.com brother, it doesn't seem to fare very well. I tried the Bird's Eye view (as linked from their homepage), went slightly South ('up') and got a really corrupted screen

Google Maps Mobile v2 - using Cell ID _#

Google have just released Version 2 of their Google Maps Mobile, with the most obvious feature being the ability to locate the user even if they don't have GPS - using the current Cell ID.

From the press release "[GPS technology] is supported on fewer than 15 percent of the mobile phones expected to be sold in 2007"

Go get it now, point your phone to google.com/gmm

Flash Earth _#

Flash Earth ...satellite and aerial imagery of the Earth in Flash

I think I saw this briefly before and simply forgot to note it down. Flash Earth is a nice Flash based implementation of the various AJAXy maps we've come to know, love and expect. It gives a full-window view of the area, with panning and scrolling controls and a little search box. The images are sourced from a variety of tile providers, and the user can choose from Google, Microsoft, NASA, and others. Interestingly, I never knew that Ask is also in on the mapping game, and their images (of Gosport at least) appear far more recent than the other offerings.