Microsoft yesterday announced the third release of Windows Live Local

[webmaster]

Microsoft yesterday announced the third release of Windows Live Local,
the company’s online local search and mapping service that gives people the ability to quickly find maps, directions and local search information.

The most important new features incorporated in the new Windows Live Local include real-time traffic flow and incident reporting, new social networking tools that enable users to save and share their favorite local experiences, and productivity enhancements from extending the Windows Live Local experience into Microsoft Office Outlook and Windows Live Messenger.

“This release is important, as it represents the first time that people can easily capture their rich local knowledge and share it with all Windows Live Local users and the Internet as a whole,” said Stephen Lawler, general manager of the Virtual Earth business unit at Microsoft.

“Our geographic expansion and integration with popular communication tools like Microsoft Outlook and Windows Live Messenger also enable us to bring the power of Windows Live Local to many more people than we do today,” he added.

The service is also expanding its beta release to the U.K. and a limited version to Canada.

One of the main advantages Microsoft’s service has over the competition is the „bird’s-eye-view” feature, which is available for 30 percent of the US surface. In Canada, this is currently unavailable.

Traffic information will only be available in the United States.