Last week Microsoft launched Bing Maps super-cool new and improved features, including real-time local Twitter feeds on the map. I've written about them in some detail at Search Engine Land.

Basically after you install Silverlight you get a very rich user experience that includes "Street Side" imagery (street level photography) for 56 US cities. This is Microsoft's answer to Google's Street View and it's been in development for an equivalent period of time -- just not public until now.

It turns out that Microsoft has enlisted NAVTEQ (owned by Nokia) in the Street Side project to further build it out:

[W]e have some massive expansion plans to include all of the areas where we don’t currently have in Streetside and they now include one of our providers of that sacred road data – Navteq. You see, while Navteq is out there collecting the best of breed road information inclusive of speed limits, bridge heights, turn restrictions, one way streets (you know, important information so you don’t get killed navigating with their data) we figured it prudent to strap a few cameras on their vehicles to record some photos.

No word on whether/when this new Bing Maps experience is coming to mobile, although the new and improved Bing mobile client was just relaunced with Voice Search from Tellme.