Google Earth / Live maps

Everyone seems to know Google Earth already. If you don't. The page introduces the service as a combination of the power of Google Search with satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D buildings to put the world's geographic information at your fingertips. The service has to be downloaded to your computer and from there you can view almost all the places in the world surprisingly closely. People can also download picture there. Just a while ago I was checking amazing pictures of Blue Lagoons in Iceland from there.

However, there's also another kind of map service available, which within time and preparation might even compete with Google Earth. But for that it'll need time. Live maps is Microsoft's service working in the internet. If you have Windows Live ID (msn) you can save pushpins and locations to the account. The view is amazing.

Here's the Laurea building in Vantaa where I study in Finland as an example for you of Live maps.






The difference between Google Earth and Live maps is obvious. Live maps has the bird's eye view possibility, but Google Earth is still much diversified than Live maps will be in a long while. They still give you different kinds of point of views to many things. I was viewing my soon to be new home in Padova from all the possible directions just today :)