The company also plans to expand its mapping service with the release of a test version in the UK and a limited offering in Canada. It pledged to add new markets in the coming months.
This latest version of its mapping site is part of Microsoft's pursuit of Google and Yahoo in the $15 billion online advertising market by offering more appealing Web services to attract advertisers and lure more traffic to its search engine.
"Microsoft sees mapping and its position in the market as one where it can break out and gain some competitive advantage," said Greg Sterling, industry analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence.
