Ask has made Microsoft's Virtual Earth platform its map provider. Map-based searches, including business search (Ask City) and Smart Answers queries, will now return Virtual Earth visuals and data.
Searchers will also be able to drill down with the ultra-detailed Bird's Eye View.
Ask joins a number of other search providers that have chosen to go with Virtual Earth in lieu of
building their own mapping platform, including Superpages.com, YellowPages.com and WhitePages.com.
"Allowing us to do the heavy lifting in building out a robust mapping platform
allows customers to focus on developing applications that benefit end users," says Chris Pendleton, a Virtual Earth tech evangelist with Microsoft.
Read the whole story at Virtual Earth, An Evangelist's Blog »