Microsoft Surface Globe

Globe Screenshot
Microsoft Surface Globe is a hands-on, world-exploration application based on Microsoft Bing Maps content and technology. You can explore the Earth as a flat 2-D map or as an immersive 3-D experience!

Interacting with Microsoft Surface GlobeYou can interact with Microsoft Surface Globe by using the touch gestures (or mouse and keyboard actions):

  • To pan, slide one finger in any direction (or drag the mouse pointer, or use the arrow keys).
  • To zoom in or out, move two fingers apart or together, or double-tap to zoom in quickly. Zoom out to see the Earth by tapping the Zoom Reset button (or rotate the mouse wheel, or press the PLUS SIGN and MINUS SIGN keys).
  • Rotate by using two fingers to twist the map in a circular motion. Reset your rotation back to north by tapping the Rotation Reset button (or press-and-hold the SHIFT key and then drag the mouse to the left or right, or press-and-hold the SHIFT key and then press the LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW keys).
  • Tap the Tilt button to view the globe from a different angle, or to control the angle, touch-and-hold the Tilt button with one finger and slide another finger on the map.
  • Switch views between the road view and satellite view by opening the options bar and switching your view. The road view is a road map where you can easily identify the road and location names. The satellite view is a made of top-down photographs taken from satellites.
  • Zoom into 3-D locations like the Grand Canyon, Mt. Rainier, Yankee Stadium, or Niagara Falls. Microsoft Surface Globe also includes 3-D cities, such as Las Vegas, Nevada and Denver, Colorado, that are modeled with beautiful high-resolution images. In 3-D cities, we recommend that you tilt and rotate the map to get a richer experience. View a longer list of 3-D locations that you can explore on your own!


Searching on Microsoft Surface Globe

  • To find an address, postal code, landmark, or a geographic location like a city name or mountain range type information into the search field. See what you can find!
  • Clear your search results quickly and easily by tapping the End Search button [Image of button] to the right of the search field.
  • You can use pushpins to mark favorite locations or search results around the globe. You can make a new pushpin by tapping the pushpin button on the bottom of the screen, place it, and name it with all the information you want to remember.
  • Search for collection information markers that identify community content and that dynamically change as you move the map. Open the Collections card, and then start searching through the community content. Try adding “wiki” to your search keywords to find some very informative results. The content includes interesting notes that other people have uploaded on Live Search Maps to inform you about the locations that you explore.
  • Export your pushpin collection to load into applications like bing.com/maps. On the options bar, open the Export pushpins card and export your collection. Then, go to Maps.Live.com and sign in, click Collections, and then click Open your collections, click Import, click Browse, navigate to your Documents folder, select the .kml file you exported from Microsoft Surface Globe, enter the name of your new collection you are importing, and click Import. For more information about this process, see the Collections topic in Windows Live Help.
    globe screenshot