See full gallery on TechnoBuffaloAhead of Microsoft’s big Windows 10 release at the end of July, the company has redesigned Bing Maps to not only look better, but also to display more information. The update was unveiled on Monday, and it looks—ahem—a lot like a competitor that rhymes with Schmoogle Schmaps. Not that that’s a bad thing. Bing Maps now takes up the entirety of your browser, giving Microsoft the opportunity to make the service more dense with information.
When you search for a place, for example, a floating card on the left side will show information such as hours of operation, address, phone number and more; you’ll even see nearby businesses. Bing Maps also offers users the ability to add multiple destinations when planning a trip.
Microsoft says user feedback helped spur the new design and drive an emphasis on a more touch-friendly experience. In addition to information-rich cards, you can also right-click on a destination, which will bring up a context menu with options to get directions to or from a certain place, save as favorite, and more. It’s also a quick way to bring up street view; rather than diving completely into street view, a la Google Maps, Bing Maps simply shows a magnifying glass, offering a quick glimpse.
Finally, the Bing Maps preview also uses predictive routing to estimate travel time, and will dynamically update based on traffic. On that note, there’s a new “Along the Route” feature, which will show users hotels, restaurants and other points of interest on a drive. Handy if you plan on going on a long road trip.
The new update is currently being offered in a preview phase, which you can check out at the link down below. Aside from looking nicer, the Bing Maps update adds a lot of functionality, making the service a pretty compelling competitor to something like Google Maps.
Source: Bing
Via: TheNextweb