Yesterday Microsoft rolled out a new version of Windows Live Local that includes quite a few new features. The most major improvements are real-time traffic information for major metropolitan areas via Traffic.com, Windows Life Messenger integration which allows several people to interact with the same map in real time, and "Collections," which let you add "pushpins" to mark locations, e.g. favorite restaurants, and recall them later (assuming you're signed in to a Live.com account) or share them with others. Also on the menu is Bird's Eye Views for much of the U.K. and integration with Outlook Calendar. While Google keeps making incremental improvements to Google Maps, Microsoft, Yahoo!, and Ask.com have really taken their challenge and run with it.