Perhaps when the people at Amazon.com wanted to launch a web mapping site they wanted one that offered something just a little bit different. Or perhaps they just couldn’t afford or be bothered with satellite imagery and decided taking photos from a van would be enough. In any case, Amazon.com’s entry in the web mapping world is A9.com Maps, a site that shows location on a MapQuest map along with street-level photos of what’s on that particular block. A convenient way to see what is actually on the street and one that many people could probably relate to better than aerial or satellite photos. The offering of street-level photos is currently limted to 24 American cities, the map navigation is clunky and the map zoom capability is non-existent. Still, the site is only in beta development.