Microsoft and NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) have teamed up again this year to track Santa Claus across the globe. The tracker is now up and running, and parents can use it to tell their children when the old man is near.

NORAD has chosen to partner with Microsoft again for this year, so interested folks should be prepared for a ton of Bing Maps integration. To make things even more interesting, the duo chose to release apps for Windows Phone, iOS, and Android, clearly following the footsteps of Google.

With the apps, users can monitor Santa's movements anywhere on the go. Furthermore, folks using the Windows Phone platform will have the option to call on Cortana, Windows Phone's voice assistant, to ask her questions such as "Where is Santa Now." It's gimmicky, but cool for those who enjoy tracking Santa every year.

As expected, when Christmas Eve comes around, users can fire up the NORAD app and watch Santa via an interactive 3D globe as he traverses the planet from one country to the other, bringing gifts to children and adults everywhere.

We should point out that Microsoft and NORAD are not the only ones tracking Santa this year. Google is also in the game, and it has done so ever since NORAD chose to partner with Microsoft. It's another option for those who are not pleased with Bing Maps, though Santa trackers should know that NORAD's website is more feature rich.

The website has a mixture of videos, images, games, and Christmas music to keep viewers entertained until Santa goes on the move. In our eyes, it is the best place to track Santa come Christmas Even, so forget about Bing Maps and its shortcomings and give NORAD a shot.

NORAD has been tracking Santa for a very long time, so it comes as no surprise to realize that it is the best choice right now. That might change in the future as Google is not slowing down, but until then, NORAD is our choice for 2014 as we hope Santa visit our home and give us a cool present.