Bing Maps was originally launched as MSN Virtual Earth, which was released for beta testing on July 24, 2005.

[3] The original version lacked many of its distinguishing features, including birds' eye view and 3D maps, and the Collections functionality was limited to a single "Scratchpad" of points of interest.

This is particularly noticeable in locations that have undergone recent rapid development or experienced other dramatic changes such as natural disasters since the imagery was taken.

Currently, a wide coverage of transit information is being reached in other countries such as Spain, Germany, Italy, Austria, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and many others.

[needs update] It is a Web-based service for traffic-based driving directions available on Bing.com in 72 cities across the U.S.[24] The tool took five years for Microsoft's Artificial Intelligence team to develop.

ClearFlow gives information for alternative routes and supplies traffic conditions on city streets adjacent to highways.

[25] Clearflow anticipates traffic patterns, while taking into account sporting/arena events, time of day and weather conditions, and then reflects the back ups and their consequential spill over onto city streets.

Often, ClearFlow found it may be faster to stay on the highway instead of seeking alternative side street routes, which involve traffic lights and congestion as well.

The new colors create a more visually appealing backdrop for information delivery that helps content ‘pop’ on the map.

The backdrop provides clear differentiation for pushpins, labels and red, yellow and green traffic overlays.

These design principles also works well in black and white and creates differentiation for those with the most common forms of color blindness.

The inclusion of neighborhood labels allows users to quickly find or convey locations in a commonly used and highly relevant format.

The search process can also be guided using local directories for numerous categories (restaurants, hotels, tourist attractions, retail stores, etc.).

The program's first orthophoto mosaics are of Augusta, GA, San Diego, CA and Tampa, FL, and can be viewed on DigitalGlobe's website.

Microsoft states that Bing Maps needs the following environment:[27] Compatible browsers include Windows Internet Explorer 6 or later, Mozilla Firefox 3.0 or later, or Safari 3.1 or later.