Yahoo Releases Upgraded Map Service

The battle to attract web surfers with online maps is heating up. Yahoo Inc. has released a new, redesigned version of its online mapping system. According to the Associated Press, the new version is designed to make it easier to get driving directions to multiple destinations and find local merchants. The new release comes less than a month after Google upgraded its maps service . Users of Google Maps will find that Yahoo's feels very familiar. The new version features the ability to scroll across a map without reloading a web page, as well as the ability to obtain driving directions to several different city locations and have all the routes simultaneously displayed on the same Web page. Online mapping has become a prime battleground among the various search engines since it is one of the most popular features on the Web. .

Yahoo's new maps are available on a test basis at http://maps.yahoo.com/beta .