Microsoft Streets and Trips 2005 GPS [Old Version]

by Microsoft

Product Features

• Comprehensive, GPS-enabled trip planning and mapping software
• Accurate destination routing; customizable trip planning
• All inclusive real-time navigation system; road construction updates
• Maps, driving directions, route options, and points of interest
• For laptop PC and Pocket PC users; GPS hardware device included

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0002DODZ8
• Item model number: B17-00175
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 4, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,548 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
  • #28 in Software > Education & Reference > Mapping
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com

Combining the power of GPS location technology and powerful, easy-to-use Microsoft mapping software, Streets and Trips 2005 GPS Locator is a back seat driver you'll always want along for the ride. This complete navigation package consists of two parts. First, the software-- which is compatible with your PC, Pocket PC device, or Smartphone-- puts essential driving information right at your fingertips.

The handy "GPS trail" feature keeps track of your trip so you can easily retrace your route.

Advanced points of interest searching allows you to find the services you need within a given radius.

Use the drawing and text tools to make notes on your maps.

Meanwhile, the included GPS receiver lets you turn your laptop or Pocket PC into a powerful GPS route-finding tool. The GPS unit pinpoints your exact location within the mapping software, offering an unprecedented level of control over your route, while giving you the real-time guidance you need to make your journey smooth and safe. The unit comes with a USB cable, so you can simply plug it into any USB-capable PC laptop and go.

Streets and Trips 2005
With Microsoft's advanced mapping software, you can easily find the route to that new restaurant across town, or to a vacation spot on the other side of the country. The software is designed to make planning and customizing your trips easy and fast.

the software comes packed with 5.4 million miles of local, city and highway roads across the United States and Canada, plus 1.8 million points of interest such as hotels, ATMs and restaurants, and other services. And because road conditions change frequently, you can avoid lengthy detours and delays by downloading current road construction information before your trip-- for free, of course.

While Streets and Trips has great basic mapping capabilities, a number of additional features make it really stand out. Easily customize your trip planning by specifying how many stops you want to take and when, or use "snap-routing" to make quick routing adjustments right on the map screen with a few clicks of the mouse. Plus, the software can show you how far you can travel in a given amount of time from anywhere on the map-- a great feature for planning side trips along your route. You can also optimize your route to find the most efficient ways to reach multiple destinations, while the fuel cost calculator predicts how much you'll spend based on your driving habits and the current cost of fuel. Lastly, drawing and annotation tools offer simple ways to add information to your maps for quick reference. Dress up your maps to your heart's content with arrows, text, highlighting, freehand drawing, and more.

Streets and Trips isn't just for your PC. The package includes Pocket Streets for both Pocket PCs and Smartphones. Now you can have access to your maps on all your devices, without any need for an internet connection.

GPS Locator
When combined with the Streets and Trips software, the GPS Locator brings your maps to life by displaying your exact current position and direction in an integrated "GPS pane" that is part of the Streets and Trips interface. The GPS unit also features GPS tracking and routing capabilities, which are especially useful when you get off track from your pre-planned route.

The GPS Locator comes with a USB cable for quick, easy connection to your PC laptop.

Should you make a wrong turn, the GPS unit's "GPS trail" feature leaves behind a virtual breadcrumb trail that shows you where you've been on your map, and makes it easy to get back on track. You can also use the handy "Re-route from here" command to quickly revise your directions and get back on your way to your destination-- a great feature for folks who like to take unexpected side trips.

The GPS Locator is designed to be easy to use with your laptop computer. Simply plug the included GPS hardware receiver into your laptop's USB port and you're set. If you already own a GPS receiver and want to use it with Streets and Trips 2005, the software's configuration wizard can help you quickly configure many third-party receivers. Because the GPS Locator has a modular design, the unit is also designed to be compatible with other portable devices. For instance, with proper accessories you can turn the unit into a wireless Bluetooth receiver or a CompactFlash/PCMCIA connected receiver. This gives you the flexibility to connect the GPS Locator to other mobile devices such as Pocket PCs.

Product Description

Microsoft Streets and Trips 2005 is the all-in-one mapping solution. This digital atlas holds over 5 million miles of U.S. and Canadian roads, plus points of interest, routes, driving directions. The PocketPC compatibility lets you carry maps on your PDA, for easier travel. Orient yourself on the road more effectively, with a GPS device running NMEA 2.0 or later. Simply plug the device into your machine running Streets and Trips and see your location.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

152 of 156 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Program, Voice Needed, October 8, 2004

By 

S. Soh - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Streets and Trips 2005 GPS [Old Version] (CD-ROM)

I always liked Streets & Trips program - its graphic is superior to other map programs (streets looks like real map, instead of pixelated lines). I used this product whenever my family had to travel to places - and it saved us many many times. However, when we get lost, I always wished there would be an easier way to find out where we are instead of trying to look for street signs and figuring out. So when I saw MS S&T 2005 w/ GPS on sale (came with sixty rebate for upgrade - fourty nine after rebate), I jumped on it even though I own Garmin iQue - which is another incredible bargain.

As with any maps, S&T sometimes will give you not the fastest directions or a wrong location for an address (2002 version gave the closest match without any warning which I took without realizing it until I got there a few times), and unless you buy new version every year, there will always be addresses that don't show up - esp. new housing complexes near my city.

Anyway, I've had no problem with the driver nor performance drop as others have mentioned with my IBM T42 P1.5Mhz, and 512RAM. Initial GPS reception is faster than iQue side by side. It does everything that it says it does. It tells you where you are, keeps your track, and the software can calculate route and tell you exact turn direction and time estimate.

However, much of the routing functions are not automatic as it should be. This GPS basically tells you where you are on the map, and that's it. It will not give you voice guidance (a major flaw), it will not automatically show you turn direction, it will not calculate estimated time of arrival. It will show you MPH, dirction (north, south, etc.), and I believe altitude as well. But unless you have someone sitting next you to help you navigate, please don't use it - it will be a dangerous distraction.

I got this because it was such a good bargain (that I could always sell on eBay), and I could reasonably assume that MS will eventually fix the deficiencies once they realize there is money to be made in the GPS market. Also, I just prefer S&T for looking at a larger map and quickly find out an address over Garmin iQue (it could be a pain to browse the map on a tiny screen), and GPS was just a bonus.

Get it only if you're NOT going to use it as your primary routing tool and you seldom drive by yourself, or are willing to stop on the side of the road to figure our where you're going. If you need something to route you automatically when you drive alone, I don't think anything beats Garmin iQue in the market today.

67 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GPS works GREAT! Map functionality superb., October 3, 2004

By 

JanSobieski (United States of America) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Streets and Trips 2005 GPS [Old Version] (CD-ROM)

I love the basic Streets and Trips (I owned the 2004 version). And although this version has been slightly dumbed down, presumably to accomodate the greater accuracy required by the GPS, the addition of a GPS locator goes a LONG way towards making up for this deficiency.

I tried to link my Garmin 60CS to this program and although it worked it didn't lock onto the satellites nearly as reliably as the enclosed locator. The marriage of Streets and Trips to the GPS locator has made this a very functional affordable GPS unit!

Welcome to the world of affordable GPS linked to a phenomenal mapping program. If you find yourself traveling to points unknown I cannot imagine a better solution for getting around than this product in conjunction with your notebook.

A few comments about the Streets and Trips mapping software. I am familiar with the Delorme product and the Garmin product and Streets and Trips blows them both away - no contest. Instantaneous panning, zooming in and zooming out, outstanding routing software, and a plethora of other features makes Streets and Trips, by far, my favorite mapping software.

One problem I had, and hopefully this will help others who might encounter the same problem: Downloading the software into your computer does NOT load the drivers! This must be done separately with the Setup disk when you first attach the locator device. Should you fail to put the Setup disk in and let your computer find the driver automatically on that disk, then your program will not recognize the locator! I wasted quite a bit of time trying to figure out what was wrong.

The problem was that the included driver software turns your USB port into a pseudo-serial communication port enabling the software to recognize the locator. The software will not recognize the locator UNLESS it is attached to a communications port. So be careful and follow the installation instructions carefully. The locator is made by Pharos GPS and if you have any installation problems go to their web site for further instructions.

I can recommend this product without hesitation

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars GPS works well, September 9, 2004

By 

S. Schmitz (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Streets and Trips 2005 GPS [Old Version] (CD-ROM)

The GPS works well (i.e. it tells you where you are on the map). As far as the routing, there are no voice prompts (helpful when driving alone), there is no distance countdown to the next turn (a great feature on other software), the zoom on the map resets itself when moving to the next turn instruction (zooms way out, quite annoying), the software does not automatically move to the next turn instruction (it really should when using GPS), and the software does not automatically recalculate a route when deviating from the recommended route (you have to push a "go" button which can be tough while driving). All in all, this software works better if you plan on traveling with another person to operate the laptop.