It’s something of a milestone week for Microsoft’s Bing Maps with the launch of its Map App SDK (Software Development Kit) at Microsoft’s TechEd convention in New Orleans.

Developers can now download the Bing Map App SDK and start building, testing and submitting applications which if approved by the Bing Maps team, could feature in the Bing Maps App Gallery.

Earthware has already developed three map apps on behalf of Microsoft: the Bing Maps World Tour, Foursquare Everywhere and Oodle property apps. These provide great examples of what Bing is calling “truly compelling map experiences”.

Speaking about the launch of the Bing Maps App SDK, Brian Norman, Earthware’s Technical Director, said: “The public availability of the SDK opens the door to some groundbreaking new Apps which will really show the potential for businesses in providing rich visual web experiences by harnessing the power of mapping. Here at Earthware, we’re working on some exciting new Apps for the Bing Maps Gallery to complement the ones we’ve developed so far, including Foursquare and Oodle. Watch this space!”

To access the Bing Map App SDK, login to Microsoft Connect at https://connect.microsoft.com/bingmapapps (you’ll need a Live ID).

Please feel free to contact us if you are looking to explore how Bing Maps or any other interactive web based mapping, can help your business.