TechStarz

Microsoft India on Monday launched its map services – Live Search Maps – that will offer users detailed listings and street maps for nine cities, business listings across 29 cities and access to highway networks to 20,000 cities and towns.

“Live Search Maps for India will allow users to search for geographical information, places of general interest and business listings both on the PC and mobile phones.Similar services are already being offered by its rivals Google, Yahoo.

The first version of the local mapping service for India has been developed by the company’s India Development Centre (IDC) in Hyderabad. Microsoft Live Search Maps has detailed listings and street maps of the four metros along with Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

The service will also allow the user see business listings across 29 major cities like Pune, Agra, Allahabad, Amritsar, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, Cochin, Coimbatore, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kanpur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Nagpur, Nasik, Patiala, Patna, Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara and Vishakapatnam.

The service is available free for consumers. Microsoft will generate revenue from the ads placed along maps later. Currently, we are focusing on generating unique consumer experience to have people using the service,” said Mr.Rishi Srivastava, Head, Microsoft India Consumer and Online Marketing Operations . Microsoft India is planning to add new features such as landmark-based driving directions and satellite imagery for India.