It's not very widely known, but Live Maps is beating Google Maps in many aspects.
They have 3D in the browser - yes, through a plugin, but Google didn't do even that. They have oblique aerial photos of staggering resolution - a lot of US and European cities photographed from four angles. (They use Photosynth tech for that, and have smooth turning between different angles.) And they didn't bet on user-generated 3D city models, using professional models instead, that look better than Google's.
Google is leading with Street View, but it's not hard to clone. I've already seen half a dozen clones, the best is http://mapjack.com .
They have 3D in the browser - yes, through a plugin, but Google didn't do even that. They have oblique aerial photos of staggering resolution - a lot of US and European cities photographed from four angles. (They use Photosynth tech for that, and have smooth turning between different angles.) And they didn't bet on user-generated 3D city models, using professional models instead, that look better than Google's.
Google is leading with Street View, but it's not hard to clone. I've already seen half a dozen clones, the best is http://mapjack.com .