It was only recently that Microsoft originally unveiled Bing Streetside view, leaving many with questions as to how successful the initiative would be and the availability worldwide. It would now appear that some of those questions are being answered, with the Streetside view now available in certain parts of the United Kingdom.
It has been confirmed however that other European countries such as France Germany and Spain are going to be included in Bing's Streetside coverage as well, with a list of areas posted on its driving schedule page. The company has been somewhat quiet in promoting the fact that Bing Streetside has gone international, however Microsoft have set up a website which provides further information on its street-level imagery.
Microsoft boasts Bing Streetside view as being different from competitors and offering a practical alternative for mobile devices, where data and loading rates come at a premium for many. The different perspective may also provide benefits to users looking for specific businesses or locations which are not as easy to find on Google's Street view.
At this stage, it is difficult to tell if Microsoft's attempt to outsmart Google will have success with computer users. While the concept is somewhat different to Google's bubble view approach, several have commented that, due to the way Bing Streetside images are compiled and displayed, the experience isn't as fulfilling. Recently, there were calls from analysts that the software giant should sell Bing due to the fact that in the latest figures, as it was making a loss of $2.6 billion.
Image Source: Bing.com
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