So which is better google Earth or microsoft Virtual Earth? Well, after significant use of both I think there advantages and disadvantages to using either one. Buidings and mountains in Virtual Earth render nicer and more realistic than Earth. In Google Earth you have grey boxes in cities where in Mictosoft Virtual Earth there are bitmap rendering of buildings which gives the buildings more realisitic feel. Mictosoft Virtual Earth has better placename search than Google Earth. Microsoft was able to create the lifelike cities with technology and expertise it acquired with the purchase of Vexcel, a provider of photogrammetry, imagery and remote sensing technology. You can find even the most remote locations. But overall the smoothness and rendering speed factor was not there in Virtual Earth, In Google Earth everything is so damn smooth. I found myself wanting more in Microsofts Virtual Earth. It is still a beta app so we can’t expect too much. I do see it evolving into a serious competitor to google. 

I also found the land pics to be pretty old in some places. For example I located my house which was built almost 7 years ago and the picture of my development was still under construction!

A major stumbling block for Microsofts Earth is that you need the following configuration:

•  A computer that’s running Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista
• Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or Windows Internet Explorer 7
• 250 MB or more of hard disk space
• At least 1.0 GHz processor (2.8 GHz or faster recommended)
• Minimum of 256 MB of system memory (1 GB recommended)
• 32 MB video card (256 MB recommended) that supports Microsoft DirectX 9, with 3D hardware acceleration enabled
• A high speed Internet connection

The need for all this will deter many people from being able to run Microsoft Virtual Earth.  The install of  Virtual Earth takes a bit of time too.

So in conclusion Earth which has had a lot of development time comes out on top. It’s clear though that the footsteps are heard loud and clear right behind. At the end of the day we are all winners when two giants fight it out to make the best app.

I found this article surfing around… Be careful what you wear (or not) when your outside…

An unsuspecting user of new software Google Earth™ had the fright of their life when they inadvertently discovered the satellite imagery had captured Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott roaming naked through his back garden.

Internet user Russell Young, 42, discovered the shocking anomaly in the Earth scanning software whilst checking to see if he could see his house, which it turns out is just down the road from Prescotts.

"I was having a look around my area and I spotted a large pink sphere in the middle of a lawn. I thought it was quite strange so I zoomed in with the Google Earth Revealed add on and to my horror it was John Prescott naked", a shaken Young explained.

The Google software ,which offers maps and satellite images for complex or pinpointed regional searches, was launched early this summer.

Google Earth has already come under criticism for its potential evasiveness on peoples lives, but this has been reinforce by the addition of even more powerful software, Google Earth Revealed ™ which has been released this month. This allows subscribers to take normally blurred images of streets and gardens and enhance them to a striking degree.

Human Rights Activist Brenda Summons points to the unveiling of John Prescotts weiner as a clear example of how this technology is encroaching on the right to privacy of all citizens.

"Aside from the humour of seeing the Deputy Prime Minister strutting around with his little tiddler out, this episode clearly demonstrates the worry we have had for many years. The power that companies like Google have to capture and distribute images of peoples real lives is a threat to civil liberties way beyond anything George Orwell could ever have dreamed up - and its here now", commented Miss Summons

Google representatives have apologised for any distress the images may have caused and insist that invading the privacy of the world is not their intention. Selling enhanced images on demand, however, certainly is.

The Prescott images, which are thought to have been taken earlier this year, come from the Earth-Sat satellite. The incredible fidelity of the picture demonstrates the power of the new software and allows the world to clearly see Prescotts tiny cock and balls.

Google Earth combines satellite imagery, aerial photography and map data to make a 3D interactive template of the world. People can then add and share information about any subject in the world that has a geographical elements. Nature.com has adapted Google Earth technology to produce an invaluble information resource with detailed findings about the spread of the avian flu virus. The project has been an online publishing success for Nature.com, a scientific breakthrough for animal and human healthcare experts, and as critical hit among blogers, programmers, podcasters and other watchers of new and innovative publishing platforms.

Judges’ comments: "This entry perfectly demonstrates he intersection of content and technology. A really simple yet incredibly clever idea that seems to have struch a chord with everybody and delivered fantastic value for its users. Neat, simple, and blindingly valuable. Google’s satellite imagery-based mapping product, represents, in essence, the whole world on a student’s computer. It enables users to "fly" from space to street level to find geographic information and explore places around the world. Google Earth is more like a video game than a search engine – it’s basically a 3D model of the entire planet that lets you grab, spin and zoom down into any place on Earth. Different versions offer tools for measuring, drawing, saving, printing, and GPS device support.