Well it looks like I blogged too soon. Microsoft has put in its bid for earth with the MSN Virtual Earth (which I shall, from here on out, refer to MSEarth because we all know that is what they’re eventually shooting for).

Right away I can see that the two applications are shooting for somewhat different audiences. MSEarth uses a less resource intensive, lower-res program that runs in IE via a downloadable plug-in. Google Earth (Which I shall, from here on out, refer to GEarth for short). Runs in its own application window and requires a 3D card among other things to run affectively.

While MSEarth has its initial advantages and will appeal to a more general audience with less technical computers, GEarth is definitely pushing towards the high-tech side of the application. Lets face it, in a few years MSEarth will be a buggy, choppy, second-hand application while GEarth stays clean and on the leading edge of technology. It is unclear who will be putting in the final bid on Earth in the years to come, but it is apparent that Microsoft is losing strength from the monopoly it once was.