If you're like me, when you think of maps on the Internet you tend to think of Google Maps and Mapquest, but did you know about Bing maps? If you read Evan's article two months ago entitled, "Bing Maps -- Planning Your Car Trips Got Much Easier. Really.", you probably have.

In Evan's article, he mentioned a few of Bing's Map Apps, like the distance calendar, parking finder, and hotel finder. This got me wondering about what other cool apps Bing offers on its map page.

In this article, I am going to show you some of Bing's coolest Map Apps.

Where Can I Find Bing Map Apps?

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To get started with Map Apps, just shoot over to Bing's map page and click the Map Apps button at the bottom of the page. A grid will appear with all of the map applications for you to pick from. You can sort the results by recommended, newest, title, rating, and publisher. Here are my favorites:

My Friends

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If you have Facebook, you need to check out the My Friends app. It works with Facebook Connect to retrieve all of your friends' locations and it posts them on your map for you. It's a great way to visualize where all of your friends are in the world and it even allows you to check your friends' current status and post to their wall.

[Note]: Only friends with Current City on their profile will be listed.

Twitter Maps

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If Bing's got a Facebook app you know they're gonna have a Twitter app too. Twitter maps is really cool because it allows you to see all of the tweets in a specific area visually. You can search by location, keywords, or people and you can opt to view tweets with photos only. Just click on a tweet to view it and you can share it with your followers if you like.

Foursquare Everywhere

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If you've read any of my articles lately, you know I'm really into location-based apps like Foursquare. Well, Bing has a Foursquare app that lets you log into your account so you can see where your friends are, as well as what's going on in different cities. You can search and view check-ins and tips at all venues.

Today's Front Pages

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If you're into news, this app is really cool. Today's Front Pages allows you to view the front page of the all the world's newspapers. If you want to see what's making front page news in a distant city or foreign land, just cruise on over to that region on the map and start clicking on icons. A really clear image is shown of the newspaper's actual front page. Click on the image to view it in full-size.

Streetside Photos

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Streetside Photos takes photos from Flickr and allows you to explore different cities. It works similar to Google maps' street view, only it shows you exactly where the various photos you click on were taken. You can view the photos by themselves or incorporate the map to see the exact street location.

Urban Graffiti

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Urban Graffiti works similar to Streetside Photos, only all of the pictures you will find on the map are of graffiti. This app offers you a really artistic view of some of the cities around the world, as you can view this "art" that you wouldn't otherwise find on your own.

Roadside Attractions

Speaking of art you wouldn't normally see, check out Roadside Attractions. This app has pictures posted on everything from the interesting to the bizarre. It will definitely keep you entertained as you stroll across the country and view all of the weird things spotted in towns and cities.

TrafficLand

For a more practical application, TrafficLand is pretty cool. It lets you view cameras of live traffic in various regions so you can see which roads are busy and where the traffic jams are. Click on an icon to see a still image and the time it was updated. This app works in conjunction with TrafficLand.com, so if you click on the image you will be taken to the site where you can view the traffic cam in real-time.

WeatherBug

To view weather on your maps, try the WeatherBug app. There are literally thousands of little icons that will appear and you can click on them to view the current weather in the area. WeatherBug will tell you the temperature, wind speed and direction, heat index, high and low temps, and time it was last updated.

Global Action Atlas

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If you're thinking globally, you should investigate the Global Action Atlas app. Here's the official description:

National Geographic invites you to support efforts across the globe to help people in need, protect plants and animals, preserve diverse cultures, and more.

If you're into helping out a great cause, you'll find this app very helpful. You can use it for everything from exploration to finding humanitarian projects.

What do you think of the apps I've listed? Will you be spending some time on Bing Maps? Leave your thoughts, ideas, and comments below!