Microsoft has released its newest service to compete directly with Google. MSN Virtual Earth is Microsoft’s poor attempt to take on Google Maps.
I’d have to say MS Virtual Earth ranks on the “brilliant product list” right up there with Windows ME. Sites like The Register have been eager to point out that MSVE has some rather dated satellite images. In the example used by The Reg, Apple Computers’ HQ isn’t shown on the MSVE maps, however comes in clear when using Google’s service.
Microsoft has released its newest service to compete directly with Google. MSN Virtual Earth is Microsoft’s poor attempt to take on Google Maps.
I’d have to say MS Virtual Earth ranks on the “brilliant product list” right up there with Windows ME. Sites like The Register have been eager to point out that MSVE has some rather dated satellite images. In the example used by The Reg, Apple Computers’ HQ isn’t shown on the MSVE maps, however comes in clear when using Google’s service.
I think by now everyone has heard that Internet Explorer version 7 will include tabbed browsing (also known as Multiple-Document Interface or MDI). A highly popular features among alternate web browser such as Opera and Mozilla Firefox, and even some Internet Explorer shells.
While IE7 is still a ways off, Microsoft’s new MSN Search Toolbar adds tabbed browsing support to Internet Explorer 5.01 and greater. Probably the only tabbed browsing support Windows 2000 users will see from Microsoft.
The new MSN Search Toolbar adds more than just tabs. It’s new features try and take on the popularity of two of Google’s products, the Google Toolbar for IE and Google’s Desktop Search application.
I’d have to give Microsoft credit on this one, as they did something I wish Google had done. They integrated the two products into one. With Google, you have to download, installed, and configure each application separately. – Though I can see the flip side to this as well.
Microsoft has released a new version of the MSN Toolbar. The new version of the toolbar adds desktop searching ability, similar to services previously launched by search competitors Google and Yahoo.
It’ll be interesting to see what people think about this. 
Back in October we ran a poll at OCC that asked what search engine our members used most. Out of the 139 people that responded, 88.49% said that Google was their main search engine and lone person said MSN.
Well now that MSN has had their new search engine out for a few weeks, I thought I’d ask OCC members if they’ve tried it, and what they think about it. Maybe you’ve switched from Google, Yahoo, A9, or something else for MSN Search. Let us know what you think in this week’s poll.