Holy shit - Microsoft Answer to google earth
 

This is quite nuts :|

http://preview.local.live.com/

Story attached -
""Today as we were biking around our neighborhood in a small city we saw a strange vehicle slowly driving around. It appeared to be an SUV, bristling with cameras mounted on the roof, and pointing just about every possible direction. The first time we saw it, all we could see was that it had a sign on the side, something about Windows. The second time we saw it, we stared at it so hard that the driver stopped and we had a chance to ask him what it was all about. He said he was driving around, filming streets, and that there were people doing this all over the world, and getting data from the air too. It was going to be available on the Web. I asked him if this was Microsoft's answer to Google Earth, and he indicated that it was. There seems to be very little about this on the Web, and I found no mention of Microsoft's collection of this sort of detailed street level data. The Windows site appears to be http://preview.local.live.com/, although since I use a Mac it didn't work properly. I'm not sure I want my neighborhood viewable on the Web from ground level. And are they going to edit all the people out? I don't see how they could.""

A9 did something like this.

Your in public so fuck em.
Yet if you buy a Wii you can have your Mii super imposed.

I don't care that some idiot got filmed - did you click the link? ;)

if you go to that link and click about theres popup window

What is the Technology Preview?
Windows Live Local Technology Preview demonstrates our work-in-progress thinking about a rich immersive experience in mapping that also explores local information. Your feedback is important to us. Please take a moment to help us improve the street-side view that is showcased in this technology preview and tell us what you like and what needs improvement.
Walk, Drive, Race - in Street-Side Views


Why do I need street-side views?
Historically, maps give you a perspective of geographical information about a place. In Windows Live™ Local, powered by Virtual Earth™, you’ve seen road, aerial, and hybrid maps. Then, we introduced bird's eye views to give you a perspective from above. Now, we want you to be there, right in front of the pizza shop you are searching for, in the street-side views offered by Windows Live Local. Even though you haven’t left the comfort of your computer chair, you’ll feel like you’re actually there.
How do I use the Technology Preview?
Street-side views enables you to view imagery as if you were driving or walking along the street. There are a number of ways to explore street-side views.
You can explore street-side views by "driving" (with your mouse or with the arrow keys on your keyboard) our "Sports Car" or "Race Car" along streets in the map or you can also "Walk" along the street.
When the car is on a street that has street-side images, the car headlights turn on and you can view the front, right, and left views through the car windows above. When there are no available views, a "no view" screen is displayed. Simply drag (or "drive" with keystrokes) the car to a different place to continue browsing.

Searching
You can use the two boxes at the top to search for interesting places. You can search for addresses and select the city. For example, you can search for “pizza” in the category box to find nearby pizza places. Or you can use the address box to find a friend’s house. Once you’ve found something, hover over the icon for the details. There is also a link to zoom directly to the street.

Using the Car
The car is your navigation aid when viewing street-side views. Move it around to view imagery from any direction along the street. Hold your mouse over the headlights to rotate the car to a new direction. The headlights come on when there is imagery available. You can also use the keyboard arrows to move the car or change directions. You can also strafe (move sideways along a road) using the keyboard arrow keys. Simply hold down the shift key while pressing left or right arrow keys and you can move from side-to-side.

Zooming
You can zoom the map in and out in a few different ways. You can spin the mouse wheel forward to zoom-in and backward to zoom out. You can also use the + key on your keyboard to zoom-in, or the - key on your keyboard to zoom-out. Lastly you can also double click the map or the car to zoom-in.

Don’t like the Race Car?
The Pick your view box gives you the choice of a race car, sports car, or walking views.

I’m lost! What do I do now?
If you manage to get outside of the city center, you can click the "Start over" link to get back to where you started.
Why only Seattle and San Francisco for Street Side?
Because the Windows Live™ Local Technology Preview is a preview, we have chosen to work with a limited set of imagery and offer very limited coverage.
I have rants/comments/suggestions. Where can I send them?
You can send us your feedback to the following email address: [email protected]
What other projects are in the works?
We’ve got many more projects on the way. Stay tuned!


Can mashups be developed on top of a technology preview? Unfortunately, it’s not possible to create mashups (Web sites or Web applications that combine or “mash” content from multiple sources into an integrated, seamless experience) with the Windows Live™ Local Technology Preview. This technology preview is not a fully featured application and is designed for stand-alone functionality.


Can I use street-side images in my Web site or other projects?
No, it is not possible to use street-side images outside of the Web site. Use of the Windows Live™ Local Technology Preview street-side images is subject to the MSN Web ite Terms of Use and Notices.


What about my privacy?
For information about our commitment to privacy,see the Microsoft Online Privacy Notice

Wow nicely done...

cool fucking link

microsoft is taking over the world, if they can beat google to it...

Cool but what kind of tard keeps calling Microsoft Corporation 'Windows'? Silly mac user..

I think it was Smokey that pointed this out a few months ago...

If these were archived indefinitely they could have a lot of historical value in years to come. Imagine being able to 'drive' down the same street 5, 10, or 20 years ago?

The name of the product is Windows Live Local

what does this mean man?

I saw this like 6 months ago, and they still have only two cities covered

Hmm looks shitty to tell you the truth. Doesn't interest me a bit. Probably cause of the shitty navigation controls

So far it looks like something from a "virtual reality" program in 1995 but I'm sure it will develop further.

I bet there are already people hunting for unusual images, just like they do with Google Earth.

Smokey found a window that reflected the truck that was taking the pics. :)

navigation is lame,only msft would put this up,but its impressive they have started to photograph buildings and streets.

Wait until satellite and airplane images are combined with ground images to form 3d movable "websites". Being able to walk around a town and see what a person would see. With huge bandwidth this could create some pretty awesome computer games and training simulations as well. Just depends how far they take the technology with this.

huge privacy problems here......

And Google's answer is http://sketchup.google.com/ . They want people to use their program to make landmarks, buildings, etc, get people to rate them, etc and than import the best into Google Earths program as standard. Should be interesting.

Looks nice...

thats pretty cool

Yah i posted about this months ago , cool tool . drive around san fran for a bit then look sideways into the glass or when you pass a bus and u can see the vehicle they used

nah fuck that.. even my kids use google earth for school work

that looks like shit

Thank god they'd have to enter private property to film my place, at which time they'd immediately find themselves on the receiving end of a lawsuit.

Seems they haven't made much progress moving to other cities. I guess this would be really handy if you were visiting somewhere and wanted to know what the store front, or whatever, would look like from the street. What is the privacy concern here? Anyone could drive down the road and take pictures, I don't think that is against the law is it?

-PieceOut

make sure your street is spic-n-span

As long as they are on public property, they are safe.