Unlike other electronic maps, they will be able to "walk" in the streets in a city like Shanghai, look around, or up and down, as in a three-dimensional first-person computer game, with real street-side views.

A Shanghai-based Website has moved the streetside view of Shanghai and Beijing on its server, using the panoramic photographing technology to offer users a virtual tour of the two cities. It plans to launch 3D views for 20 more Chinese cities this year. The view it offers is like that of Microsoft Live Local, but runners of city8.com said the difference lies in the panorama view it creates at a certain point.

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