Delorme Street Atlas USA 2008 [Old Version]

by DeLorme US Software

Product Features

• GPS voice commands and spoken directions
• Mexico highway maps, as well as U.S. & Canadian detailed streets & points-of-interest
• More than 3.4 million updated streets across the U.S. and Canada
• Ideal for laptops, desktops, PDAs, iPods, and GPS
• Updated maps and four million places of interest produced by experienced mapmakers at DeLorme

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000PIFU7A
• Item model number: AO-7807-203
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 18, 2007
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,805 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #21 in Software > Education & Reference > Mapping
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com

Announcing the release of Street Atlas USA 2008, America's leading mapping software. Features U.S. and Canadian street maps plus Mexican highways, including PDA and GPS support.

Windows Mobile 5.0 Support

Now Bring Static Maps on iPods!

Ideal for Laptops, Desktops, PDAs, iPods, and GPS
More powerful than online mapping. Comprehensive tools for traveling using the latest gadgets. Support for Windows Vista, Pocket PCs, Windows Mobile 5.0, iPods, and Palm OS included

Up-to-Date Maps & Travel Information
Comprehensive street and POI updates for the U.S and Canada, now with Mexico highways. Powerful travel planning tools, MapShare, and many new data types

The GPS Leader
Innovative GPS features: voice commands, spoken directions, automatic back-on-track re-routing with off-route distance settings, mobile map colors, and much more

Authentic DeLorme Maps
Not licensed from 3rd party companies, the updated maps and 4 million places of interest are produced by experienced mapmakers here at DeLorme

Core Functions Map Controls
The maps can be controlled using a variety of methods, including the traditional push-button zooming, which drills in/out while keeping the map exactly centered. Also, holding down the left mouse button enables you to drag and zoom, left-to-right, across the map, and moving the mouse in the same manner but in the opposite direction zooms out.

Find
DeLorme employs several powerful search capabilities within the software. The first is a simple box called QuickSearch where you type common requests including towns, cities, lat/lons, ZIP codes, street addresses, colleges, and many more to receive the quickest possible matches. The places-of-interest search offers more advanced parameters and the advanced search is used when locating exact matches requires additional customer input.

Draw
Add MapNotes; draw your own circles, polygons, and squares; measure the area of your draw objects--even draw in your own roads and route on them--these are amazingly powerful draw tools for the money.

Info
Right-click on the map to learn more about what's underneath your cursor. Lat/Lon, names of streets and bodies of water--even local radio station information--can be viewed in this manner. Moreover, the bottom toolbar of the software displays a continuously updated readout of what's underneath your cursor.

Voice
voice for issuing routing and GPS commands while tracking. Ask common questions such as "How far to my next turn?" and the software answers. Microphone recommended for optimal usage. The software also reads upcoming turn information, including the time to turn, time to finish, and name of the street to turn onto. New voice settings allow you to select how far in advance of your turn you'd like to be prompted. Voice can also be turned off if you prefer.

Netlink and Aerial Imagery
NetLink is your online link to DeLorme for free aerial imagery now included with the Street Atlas USA 2008 versions. Select your areas of interest and download only those grids to the software. Toggle the imagery on and off in a single-screen view. Add notes and draw objects to the imagery to customize lifelike views from space.

Mobile Device Mapping
Pocket PC, Windows Mobile 5.0, and Palm OS Compatible
Included at no extra charge is the DeLorme Handheld software, which now includes support for Windows Mobile 5.0 devices. Access the maps you want from the desktop software and hot-sync to your PDA. Add a DeLorme Bluetooth GPS for use with Bluetooth PDAs and navigate wire-free.

The DeLorme handheld functionality provides address-to-address routing, spoken directions, mobile map colors to reduce in-vehicle glare, and four million places of interest. Finding what you need is easy using the powerful search capabilities. Now you have powerful desktop mapping software and PDA software all conveniently provided in one Street Atlas USA 2008 package.

Maps on iPods

Using a tool similar to how MapShare works, now you can select the maps you want from the desktop software and send them to your photo-capable iPod. These map http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/software/detail-page/ are static (e.g., cannot be manipulated once on the iPod) and come across in the order you select them, same as with photos. Once on your device, you can access the ones you need, when you need them. Due to the small screen size of iPods, we recommend these maps for urban walking situations where you can discretely reference the maps you need. (Not GPS compatible.)

Ease of Use

E-Z Nav Toolbar
First introduced within the 2006 version of the software, this handy toolbar runs along the top of the interface and offers access to commonly needed routing and GPS options, especially useful for in-vehicle navigation on a laptop PC with the Earthmate GPS. Right-click on the top toolbar and select the various icons you want.

Keyboard Shortcuts
Set your own keyboard shortcut preferences for optimum control when using GPS. The key-bindings function is very powerful and advanced so you can design your ideal in-vehicle navigation solution to your personal specifications.

Right-Click Routing
The easiest way for many to create and alter routes is to use the right-click feature. Select the route on your map and add new stops or vias, delete the route, all by simply right-clicking the object of interest. You can also add your own MapNotes or view the many pre-populated tags provided by the software.

Routing

Routing
Create automatic routes using the quickest (time) or shortest (distance) routes. Add VIAs to force the routing to take the roads you prefer. Turn on one-way indicators; select major areas to avoid; or select roads based on driving speed preferences. Add Stops and reorganize their order and the routing automatically recalculates. Create and manage routes either in the Route tab or by right-clicking on the maps. New translucent route highlight lets you see exit numbers and route shields beneath the route highlight.

Add Local Roads to Routing
A DeLorme exclusive, this is the best way to update local roads when new developments are planned or added between DeLorme software releases. This tool is located within the Draw tab and lets you draw in the road segment, connecting it to another local road within the database. Assign a name, save it, and when you create automatic routes, the software is smart enough to include these new local roads in the routing calculations and also update the directions.

Personalized Routing with Address Book
Create and save commonly-used names for places you visit often, such as "home," work," or "Dad's." Once these names are assigned, the routing Starts, Stops, and Finishes also display these names making retrieval easy for repeated usage. Customize routes using your own names and save them within MapShare for others to see -- they'll be amazed. You can also include up to 200 names from your address book to be recognized using this system.

Map & Travel Information

Map Data
Because all DeLorme map data is created, updated annually, and owned by DeLorme, we are able to provide many features typically reserved for expensive in-vehicle navigation systems. Free from the license restrictions and third-party dependencies of other publishers, we can also evaluate customer-submitted revisions and implement these changes after triple-checking all submissions. We currently have an enhanced commitment with staff in place to make as many customer revisions as possible.

Places of Interest (POI) Data
The DeLorme database contains over 4 million annually updated places of interest across the U.S., with additional ones in Canada, including restaurants, lodgings, gas stations, travel services, RV stops, malls, shopping--just about everything you could ever need on the road. The software settings let you choose the magnification level to display the various POIs to avoid cluttering your map views. The POIs can be accessed using the many Find capabilities or by right-clicking on the map and selecting places based on type and distance from map center.

GPS Features

GPS Radar Search
Now you can travel with GPS and have the software find upcoming travel services based on their location from you. Find gas, hotels, shopping, and much more in your direction of travel and then easily make detours to these desired stops along the way. It's like having your personal travel concierge with you at all times.

Automatic Back-on-Track GPS
Using the Earthmate GPS LT-20, which turns a laptop PC into a powerful GPS navigator, it's possible to have the software offer new spoken and visual directions when you stray off course. Within the GPS tab of the Options section of the E-Z Nav toolbar, you can select or type the off-route distances you want to travel before the automatic recalculations kick in. Select short distances for city travel and longer ones for highway travel where you may exit frequently for roadside travel services.

GPS Spoken Directions
The software can offer voice directions indicating upcoming turns and street names. It also can be set up to respond to your voice and answer common travel questions--a very powerful capability for mapping software within this price category. Several different voice types are included.

Printing & Sharing

Print
Print crisp color or black & white maps that you control to best match what is seen on screen. Also print Travel Packages containing strip maps and directions to bring on your trip. Don't want to use a lot of ink and paper? Then print just the Turn Details which show thumbnail maps of each of the decision points along your route.

MapShare
MapShare makes it easy to share your customized maps and directions with family, friends, and business associates. You create exactly the content you want and then post within our online MapShare library, which includes private administrative tools for you to manage. Similar to some of the better online photo resources, MapShare allows you to provide controlled access to your important maps without worrying about email and spam filters.

Eartha Community Atlas
DeLorme has created several online communities for you to network with other customers looking to share travel information. You connect through the software interface into an online social network where you can add photos and forum postings to specific geographic locations.

Demos & Tutorials

Getting Started Tutorial
This tutorial provides a guided tour of the main capabilities of the software. It is also included within the software along with a comprehensive Help section with links to online discussion groups where DeLorme customers can help you.

Data

Included
Street Atlas USA 2008 DVD contains the DeLorme produced and managed United States and Canadian street-level network. DeLorme highways and major roads for Mexico also includeed. The four million U.S. places of interest are updated annually based on phone book information and DeLorme’s own research into exit services. Canadian POIs are also included, many with phone numbers.

What's New?

• Extensive street and highway updates for the U.S. and Canada
• Highway and major road routing now available for Mexico
• Improved overall map readability, with more detail now provided at magnification levels 7-10
• 40+ new or updated GPS-positionally-accurate chains added to the 4 million places of interest, including Wal-Mart, Chili’s, Denny’s, Walgreens, Exxon/Mobil, and many more
• Airport access roads updated to be GPS accurate
• 900+ malls and access roads named, located
• Pinpoint locations, with updated names for 150 pro sports and NASCAR venues
• Connect online for geographic social networking with other DeLorme customers using Eartha Community Atlas
• Truck Stop data with extended information about service offerings
• Variable baud-rate settings for included Pocket PC
• Translucent route highlights for seeing map data beneath routes
• Map transfer to PDAs improved with support for Mexico maps on both Pocket PC and Palm OS now available
• Support for multiple monitors
• High-resolution, recent imagery for many states available for purchase
• Convenient DVD-ROM edition--load to your hard drive or run in the DVD drive

Sample Maps

Find Places of Interest	Finding Nearest Gas Stations	College Visit Tour	Routing to a Mall	Planning a Truck Route
Avoid Urban Areas	Traveling Through Mexico	Visiting a Client in Toronto	Calculate Fuel Stops	Printing Maps
Using Imagery	Add Your Own Roads	Sharing Maps Online	Mobile Device GPS Sky Views	Handheld Maps
Mobile Device GPS	Mobile Device Directions	Mobile Device Search	Mobile Map Colors	Mobile Device GPS Settings

Product Description

DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2008 is the most powerful atlas program available for your PC, PDA or GPS. These comprehensive tools offer street information and points-of-interest (POI). It also features innovative GPS features: voice commands, spoken directions, automatic back-on-track re-routing and much more. These authentic DeLorme maps are guaranteed accurate -- they're produced by their own mapmakers, and triple-referenced to ensure you have the correct guidance anywhere you go. Explore America's back roads without getting lost and get where you're going faster than ever with Street Atlas USA 2008. GPS navigation with spoken directions and voice commands Pocket PC, Windows Mobile 5.0, and Palm OS 3.5 (and above) support

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lacking Updates, July 23, 2007

By 

Steve "Flashlight Fiend" (South Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Delorme Street Atlas USA 2008 [Old Version] (DVD-ROM)

I moved near the Hilton Head Island Sun City and ordered Street Atlas 2008 to update my five year old 2003 edition. Sun City and the surrounding town have doubled in size in the last five years, but Street Atlas has not added a single new street to the area in that time. Also, mislabeled roads have not been corrected.
I returned it to Delorme.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too hard to Maneuver, July 12, 2007

By 

Bill Coleman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Delorme Street Atlas USA 2008 [Old Version] (DVD-ROM)

I have had this program in the past as well as Microsoft Streets and Trips, and i have always used the Streets and Trips more, it is easier to Maneuver around and find things. Yesterday I was using this program trying to find hotels in Las Vegas, and it would not list them without doing a bunch of hunting and searching to get them to appear. With Streets and Trips you go to Las Vegas and look up and down the stip and all the hotels are there and easy to find. i only bought this Delorme this year because they said that they had updated it and it was all better, well it is not. I will not purchase Delorme Street Atlas again, I will just continue to purchase the Microsoft Streets and Trips which will be out in August. thanks

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Delorme Sloppy Atlas USA 2008, July 21, 2007

By 

Lux Lucis (Huntsville, AL, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Delorme Street Atlas USA 2008 [Old Version] (DVD-ROM)

Delorme Street Atlas USA 2008 comes on a DVD and installs without any problems. Its interface, however, is cluttered and not particulary user friendly. Various buttons and dials take up just as much screen space as the map window, which makes navigation frustrating. You cannot close and re-open navigation window panes to allow more room for the map -- you can only adjust their size by dragging window panes. This helps a little, but not much. I would have much preferred to have drop down menus than these giant unwieldy screen buttons.
The maps themselves are constipated with dubious points of interest at the expense of what really matters: placing addresses at their correct locations. Our neighborhood has been around for 20 years, and yet Delorme manages to "move" my house to the other end of the street. Visitors are going to have a lot of fun trying to locate my residence if they rely on Delorme, especially when it is after dark and one cannot very well read numbers on mailboxes. The little street next to my house is not even listed. This is odd, because all the major free internet-based mapping services (Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, MapQuest) have my neigborhood laid out correctly. Perhaps Delorme cartographers should borrow their maps from one of these services. And I thought that a mapping software that you pay money for would deliver a higher level of accuracy than free mapping softwares available on the Web. Silly me. Also, the main county roads (4-lane highways) running through our suburb actually have names, in case the folks at Delorme care to know it. It does not inspire confidence in Delorme's database to see these roads just labeled CR-118 or CR-112, instead of Fieldstown Road or Mount Olive Road.

Another problem that I have encountered is that if you want your trip routed correctly, you really have to micromanage this software and tell it which roads to avoid, and which locations to travel through. Otherwise it will by default direct your travel through tortuous and slow country roads (even when your preference is set to the "fastest", rather than the "shortest", route). The end result can be a trip that is 10 miles shorter but half an hour longer.

One of the reasons I bought this software was because of its capability to transfer maps to Palm PDA. Once again, from the programming perspective Delorme performs flawlessly. Syncing maps to PDA is very easy and painless. A single map will take anywhere between 2 and 10 Mb of space, so an expansion card is a must for your Palm device. Once in the PDA memory, however, the maps are of limited utility, as there is not much you can do with them. In a pinch, you can zoom in and find a street of interest. You can even plan a route (it will take a long time on PDA processor), although the direction can be only marginally trusted.

Overall, I wish I had spent my 40 bucks elsewhere.