Microsoft Live Maps gets close up

It looks like Microsoft has gone and added 3.8 terabytes worth of image data to its Google Maps-like Live Maps system. It's a bit creepy exactly how close up you can get with some locations.



Above are screenshots of Independence Hall in Philadelphia. In both cases, we zoomed in as far as we could using Microsoft Live Maps or Google Maps. Not only is the aerial imagery zoomed in a bit tighter with Microsoft Live Maps, but the picture is a lot sharper. Google Maps still seems to load a bit smoother as you scroll throughout the map. But the upgrade makes Live Maps a bit more fun to play around with.

And of course, since the picture is at an angle, it's much easier to identify landmarks, which is one of the only real practical uses of an aerial view when you're looking for directions.