Last week, Microsoft sold a part of their Bing Maps visual assets to Uber, but Microsoft has not given up on its proprietary mapping service yet. Microsoft unleashed new Bing Maps preview which focuses on travel planning tools.

What are the enhancements in new Bing Maps preview?

The new Bing Maps preview features a number of enhancements which includes trip planning tools, travel time estimates and improved layout. The new Bing Maps put more emphasis on travel planning tools rather than in actual routing, as most people normally look for directions on their smartphones while
travelling.

According to Microsoft, they have completely redesigned layout to make it more touchscreen friendly. The preview also adopts a card-based design that makes viewing during trips much easier. Now, destinations will appear as individual, collapsible cards that are arranged along the left side of the map.

Users can now also mail the routes to their friends and plan trips using a new Bing Maps feature called predictive routing, that shows users any slowdowns along their route they are likely to encounter on a given day and time. Along the Route feature in the preview makes planning road trips easy by listing nearby restaurants, hotels and gas stations.

The Bing Maps Team wrote in a blog post “We heard that people want one experience that brings together the best content in one view, that fully reflects what they are planning, not just their last search. Users want a map experience that is fast and easy to use, and makes the most of the visually rich data that maps can bring to life. The Bing Maps Preview reflects this feedback.”

Microsoft unleashed new Bing Maps preview which focuses on travel planning tools is currently available in the US, Canada, UK, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and India. According to the Bing Maps team, new features will be available to more countries soon.