新的 Bing Maps 会根据不同市场版本显示不同的地图图像层，比如英国版 Bing Maps，用户可以访问到 London Street Map 和 Ordnance Survey 地图风格；如果在伦敦地区，还提供了显示公共交通网络的“Transport”按钮。

还有一点就是上次也提到的地图定位功能。如果你的浏览器支持 W3C Geolocation API，Bing Maps 就会提供定位按钮，点击便可在地图上定位到自己当前所在位置（根据网络）。

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而比起之前的英国版本，Bing UK 正式版在功能上有了较大的更新，但仍与美国版有不小的差距。具体如下：

• 每日更新的必应 Bing 首页背景和热点
• Bing Visual Search 可视化搜索（体验）
• 支持更多类别的 Instant Answers 功能
• Bing Twitter 实时搜索
• Bing Shopping UK 已整合 Ciao UK
• Multimap 与 Bing Maps 共存，提供地图服务
• Best Match 网站直通功能

而就 Bing Maps 英国版来说，已经与最近更新的美国版一致了，并且英国版支持轨道交通地图层。

LiveSide: Bing UK sheds beta tag, Bing Maps UK released

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Bing Maps World Tour 利用了 Bing Maps Silverlight 控件（目前处于 CTP 阶段）的渲染特性，以及伪 Ribbon UI 的工具栏。Bing Maps World Tour 应用每个月会推荐 Bing Maps 的最新图像更新内容。你可以观看幻灯片式的播放，或者自行在各地点、城市标注间切换。

Live Search 411 已改名为 Bing 411，电话为 1-800-Bing-411，语音搜索仍基于 Tellme 技术。同时，微软也正式宣布了 Bing Travel 垂直决策引擎。

另外，微软英国的 DiscoverBing 站点推荐了 Multimap 和 Ciao 两款 Bing 的本地化子服务。

LiveSide: Bing Maps Imagery Release – May 2009 (Introducing Bing Maps World Tour)

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The Multimap team has released a new free API which contains lots of robust features which you can leverage in your applications. And, if you’re a licensed Virtual Earth customer you can gain access to the Multimap platform via your agreement. So, if you see something you like on the Multimap platform contact your Solution Specialist and get them crackin’ to add it to your VE contract!

So, what’s the deal with the Multimap Free API? Here are the Marketing facts:

• We launched a new service for small businesses, personal websites and hobbyists this week.
• The service, available for free from Multimap.com, provides a single line of HTML to cut and paste into a web page.
• The user gets a slippy map in a choice of map styles (TeleAtlas, Ordnance Survey and Barts) or aerial for anywhere in the world (US included, using VE maps and aerial).
• The pasted HTML includes four hyperlinks back to Multimap.com:
  1. See this location on Multimap (for a bigger map, POI, business listings, etc)
  2. See this location in Birds Eye
  3. Get directions to this location
  4. Get directions from this location
• The service is limited to 50,000 transactions per year (which we track) and cannot be used for internal apps (eg BI, CRM)

该地图 API 支持以下语言：en-US, da-DK, de-DE, es-ES, fr-FR, it-IT, nl-NL, nb-NO, pt-PT, sv-SE, ru-RU 和 zh-CN。对我们来说该 API 最实用的用途就是将其插入在页面中。试试吧：

• 访问 Multimap.com
• 搜索一个地点
• 点击 Link（地图右上方位处）

注意：当前地图的链接是可以自由使用的，但嵌入代码是需要接受 Terms and Conditions 的。点击 Customize and Preview map 则打开新窗口进行自定义和预览。

LiveSide: Virtual Earth: Get A MultiMap Map On Your Site For Free!

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• 访问 http://maps.live.com ，转向 Live Maps 英国
• 通过 http://www.live.com 访问，转向 Multimap
• 通过 http://www.msn.co.uk 访问，转向 Multimap

因此你访问 maps.live.com 的时候，才会转向 Live Maps。James 同样也发布了这个改动的官方申明：

We recently announced the integration of Multimap into Live Search in the UK and will start to route users directly to the Multimap service from MSN UK and Live.com from 9^th May.

This release is part of our longer term consumer strategy to have one mapping and local search site in the UK, integrating the best of both Multimap and Virtual Earth (Live Search Maps) technologies. The management and development teams of Microsoft and Multimap are working collaboratively, with a common vision bringing localised products to market faster.  Given that Multimap resonates successfully with UK consumers serving over 45% of the UK mapping audience, building on this brand is the right strategic direction.

We recognise, however, that we must continue to offer users a choice of services while we complete the integration of all Virtual Earth features into the Multimap site.  We are therefore maintaining the Live Search Maps UK site and users can still access this at http://maps.live.com to use favourite features such as Windows Live Collections and 3D maps. Powerful VE Aerial and Bird’s Eye imagery has been integrated into the Multimap site to give consumers the broadest array of map styles on the market today.

Additionally, we are going to provide prominent signposting to Live Search Maps UK from the Multimap site for those who are redirected there. All Live Search and MSN UK mapping traffic through ‘Maps’ links will be redirected to www.multimap.com but any shared Collections links will not.

Developers and businesses that have invested in the Virtual Earth technology are unaffected by the redirection of our Live Search Maps and MSN mapping traffic to Multimap. We will continue to support both technology platforms and expect to offer an expanded set of opportunities and features over time.

We thank our users for the feedback and passion they have shared so far as we continue to evolve our local and mapping sites in the UK. We encourage you to try out these sites for yourselves.

这个改动将会在 5 月 9 日进行。

LiveSide: Changes Afoot For UK Live Maps Users – A Heads Up

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现在，Live Maps 已经恢复了，英国用户可以继续使用它。

LiveSide: Live Maps Returns For UK Users

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这次收购为微软的 Virual Earth, Live Search ,Windows Live 服务, MSN 和 aQuantive 广告平台提供了一个强大的新定位和地图技术，以及与将来一系列微软产品和平台的整合。

“The addition of Multimap enhances Microsoft’s position as a leading provider of mapping and location platform services,” 微软在线服务集团总经理 Sharon Baylay 说 “This acquisition will play a significant role in the future growth of our search business and presents a huge opportunity to expand our platform business beyond the U.K. and globally. We are thrilled to welcome Multimap onboard.”

微软早已经有其自己的在线地图服务 Virtual Earth，我们一起来看看微软将如何将 MultiMap 整合入其 Virtual Earth，:D 。

LiveSide: Microsoft Acquires MultiMap

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