To sum it up, Google Maps takes the crown for the most comprehensive satellite image capabilities and quickest response times. Yahoo Driving Directions also provides satellite images of remote locations, but MapQuest and Google have higher resolution displays. Google is a heavyweight here, and can show you close up views from continents all over the world. So which is the best choice for sightseeing? MapQuest currently lacks the ability to show users satellite images, though it does allow you to plot multiple points around an address to pick a good route for your sightseeing tour. In summary, use Yahoo Driving Directions when construction and heavy traffic are a concern, and MapQuest is usually best for quick, simple directions.
Google Maps has a handy feature that allows users to zoom in for topographical views, which some may find useful.
For those walking or jogging, MapQuest and Google are the only sites that currently lets users plot pedestrian courses. Clicking on them brings up more information about the business, including the address, phone number and a link to results of a Yahoo Search query on the name.MapQuest also has a cool drag and drop menu that Yahoo has also had, making it easier to plan your trip around traffic blockages.
Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo changed the game in March when it introduced SmartView, a free feature that lets users look up addresses, then select categories of services to appear as yellow icons on the map. The basic services had changed little until the last few years, when the big online-mapping players began incorporating local business listings to help Web surfers find services near their destinations. offers an online mapping service, and Yahoo dumped MapQuest’s technology in favor of its own three years ago. But it has plenty of competition: Microsoft Corp. Acquired for about $1 billion in 2000 by America Online, now part of Time Warner Inc., MapQuest remains at the top of the heap. Maps and driving directions have become one of the most heavily used services on the Internet since burst onto the scene in 1996.
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