Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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484 of 490 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good news and bad news., October 28, 2005
The bad news first: The map details are still not as good as were found in the 2004 version of this program. I can't understand why MS would dumb down their product. Also, the street names seem to have been dumbed down as well. For example, Golden Eagle Ferry Road has been reduced to Ferry Road. There are innumerable examples of this dumbing down and simpifying which only serves to confuse.
The good news: The GPS functionality has been vastly improved with voice and large visual prompts which make using the program in an automobile MUCH MUCH easier. The little car cursor in the 2005 version has been replaced by a much more visible circle with a large arrow in it indicating direction.
Despite the dumbing down of the actual map data the program remains a superb mapping program with many updates since the 2004 and 2005 versions. New streets, restaurants and other points of interest are now incorporated. This program offers a truly affordable GPS guidance system for nearly all consumers without having to go to the expensive Garmin or Magellan systems. 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 automatically load the drivers for the GPS locator device! 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. If you don't add the drivers manually your device manager will automatically load drivers that will not be recognized by the program! I had to go into my Device Manager and uninstall the drivers that were added and then manually install the MS drivers for the GPS locator. Not an insurmountable problem, but it does require a bit of experience with computers.
The included driver software turns your USB port into a pseudo-serial communication port enabling the software to recognize the locator (only serial ports are recognized by the software). The software will not recognize the locator UNLESS it is attached to a serial (or in this case pseudo-serial) communications port. So be careful and follow the installation instructions closely. The locator is made by Pharos GPS and if you have any installation problems go to their web site for further instructions.
I heartily recommend this product however be aware of the minor software and driver glitches I've described above. All in all, I think you will be VERY pleased.
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214 of 222 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Major improvements over previous versions. Must buy., October 8, 2005
I've been using MS Streets and Trips since 2001 and I honestly say this version is a major improvement. This version has voice turn by turn directions (example, right turn in 200 yards) which was not avaiable in previous versions (must have GPS and Windows XP for text to voice feature); also shows the information visually on map as you drive. If you are near a wireless hot spot it can automatically locate your postion on a map without a GPS attached (its called Locate Me). Very interesting feature.
The new maps also show building and sports arena locations on the map as gray outlines of the building structure (not just as tiny icons). Very useful for major downton metropolitan areas. Major highways (4-lanes, none interstate) stand out more clearly with newer visualizations and colors, which is great for finding shortcuts in non-urban areas that don't have interstates or limited access highways. Probably the most unique features is the night map visualizations. The night mode shows the map in a visually enhance mode for use a night (black background with bright green roads).
MS S&Trips also links up with MSN website to show the current location you are view on the web with satellite images. Similar to Google Earth.
The negatives are that you can't type in your exact driving speed in the route planner (unlike MS S&T 2003). It only gives you the options of setting your driving speed to Slower-Average-Faster. Even thought the program contains up-to date road information, it stills has some out of date information. If you look at the product descriptiong for 2003/2002 vs 2004/2005 verisions you notice they it contains information for 1 million plus more miles of road. The is more of an issue when interstate exit numbers and street names have been changed over the years.
Overall its worth buying. Lots of new features not just updated maps.
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64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Totally affordable GPS solution, with voice guidance, November 30, 2005
This will be a long review, so sit back and relax. I hope my review can help you make your decision.
I bought this product this morning at my local Staples store (...). I took it out for a spin and have been quite happy with it. It works really well, (...).
First, a little background on my own needs. Ever since I bought my 2-pound ultralight Sharp Actius MM20 notebook computer last summer, I'd been looking for a GPS locator to go with it. I had used various stand-alone, windshield-mounted GPS units such as the TomTom 300. I never quited liked them very much because their screens were too small and not bright enough on a sunny day. Also, punching in street addresses one character at a time is just not my cup of tea, and I hated it. Given my Sharp laptop has a bright 10.4" screen and is so lightweight, I thought it would make a good road companion with GPS installed.
Back in the summer I looked at Microsoft Streets and Trips 2005 with GPS but didn't like the fact that it did not have voice prompt. I thought voice prompt (aka voice guidance, which reads out turns before they come up) was a must-have because, as my laptop wouldn't be dashboard-mounted and would mostly sit in the front passenger seat, I'd want to hear, rather than constantly glance over to check, the directions and road names. I also looked at Garmin's laptop-friendly GPS offering but it was a little too expensive (compared to the Microsoft product) and people were not happy with it.
Anyway, so I was very happy this morning to find out that not only was the new version of Microsoft Streets and Trips with GPS available now, but was at such a great price at Staples. I rented a car from Avis after buying the product, and drove around Harvard Square on this rainy day to test it.
Before I share with you my quick test results, let me say a few things about the software and the GPS receiver. The mapping software is Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006, which is the consumer version of Microsoft's industrial-strength Mappoint system. While not as well known as Mapquest, Mappoint is actually the most accurate and comprehensive mapping data software on the market today. Microsoft combined mapping data from several sources to create Mappoint, as opposed to other vendors' relying on only one source -- this explains why, when you read through GPS reviews, you'll often see people discussing the pros and cons of Navteq data vs. GDT vs. other companies. No single mapping data vendor has all the coverage a user might need, so combining multiple sources as Microsoft does is a good thing.
Even though it's the cheap, consumer-oriented version, Streets and Trips is nonetheless very complete, detailed and powerful. The new version covers 5.9 million miles of streets and highways and 1.8 million POIs (points of interest) in the U.S. and Canada. While street-detail coverage and turn-by-turn routing are both second to none, the number of POIs is a little disappointing, considering other GPS vendors go up as high as 5 million. At least, in my experience, Streets and Trips' POI database is up-to-date, so you are unlikely to run into a POI that turns out to have vanished a long time ago. There is an Internet update feature in the program whereby you can get road construction (but not street name or POI) updates from Microsoft when you are connected to the Internet.
(BTW, POIs are such things as restaurants, service stations, gas stations, rest areas, banks, ATMs, hotels, bars, camp grounds, rental car agencies, attractions, etc., etc.)
The software's interface has remained largely unchanged from the last version I used, the 2002 version. (That one has been a lifesaver in quite a few situations for me, even without a GPS receiver.) The interface feels a little cluttered, as is the case with most Microsoft software titles. It's not something you can pick up and become comfortable with right away. You should absolutely spend a few minutes familiarizing yourself with the interface at home before venturing out on the road. In the user-interface department, stand-alone products from TomTom and Garmin win hands-down.
In terms of routing, you can save as many routes as you hard disk space allows. You can also reroute on the fly. One really cool feature is, when you plan your route (before the trip), you can tell Streets and Trips (by dragging and dropping the routing line) whatever wayward points you'd like to hit between starting and end points. For example, say you are driving from Point A to B, but want to stop at C, which is not on the calculated route, for a quick bite. You can easily add C to the trip, and later if you change your mind and want to stop by D instead, you can just drag the route line from C to D. It's hard to describe how this is done in words; but it's very easy and intuitive in action.
At last, this new version has voice output, using Microsoft's synthetic text-to-speech technology. I'll be honest: the synthesized voice just sounds silly, unnatural. But, all considered, it's actually tolerable and makes GPS-guide driving a lot easier -- and safer.
Unfortunately, we still do not get the 3D overhead view that's now common on stand-alone GPS locators. Since I wanted that feature, I deduct at least half a star in the rating for this being absent from this otherwise feature-rich product. Microsoft does allow you to rotate the map so the direction you are traveling in points up. There are also other map view options.
The small GPS receiver is made by, I believe, Pharos, a Microsoft technology partner. It's a small, square receiver with a blue LED that lights when connected to the USB port. This receiver (or its predecessor) has received rave reviews from users. It connects to a regular USB port. The USB cable, which detaches from the receiver, stands at 6 ft. long. There's a little flimsy plastic suction cup that slides along the cable; needless to say (but I'll still say it) it's for attaching to a windshield or dashboard.
(The package includes mapping software for Pocket PC and Microsoft Smartphone, but you'll need to buy a separate Pocket PC-compatible GPS receiver in order to use GPS on your Pocket PC.)
The biggest problem with using a GPS-equipped laptop is you can't readily mount it on the dashboard (or windshield). There are rigs available, or you can make your own, that allow you to do it, but since I drive rentals only, I'll have to make do with leaving the laptop in the passenger seat. I'll just rely mostly on the voice prompts to get around. Another inherent shortcoming with using a laptop is, because the screen is not touch-sensitive (I do not know whether this product supports Microsoft Tablet PC fully), everything is by keyboard and mouse. While entering addresses on the keyboard cannot be beat, certain operations become hard or unsafe, or both, when you are driving. So it's probably best to have a companion traveling with you when you use this product on a laptop. Or at least memorize the Fn key shortcuts, e.g., F3 to reroute, F7 to toggle voice prompt on/off.
Now my quick impressions from today. As I drove around Harvard Square navigating streets reminiscent of country-side winding paths, I found the GPS receiver pretty fast in acquiring a signal and maintaining it. Even though it was raining and the clouds were thick, the receiver found a signal in about a minute. And it was very good at maintaining the signal, even when I drove between tall buildings. The software accurately located where I was all the time. I did a few routes and everything worked beautifully. I was really impressed with the quality of the (supposedly) Pharos receiver. It did not disappoint, period.
In summary: Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 with GPS Locator combines a powerful, detailed mapping program with a high-quality receiver and features a few driver-friendly amenities such as rotating map and voice guidance and night view (greenish view that's easier to read when driving at night). It puts full-featured GPS capability in the hands of the poor (assuming the poor can afford a laptop; (...)). The software has a fair learning curve, but the big screen GPS display is just great. I wish the interface were cleaner, there were more POIs, and the voice more attractive and natural-sounding. But let's face it: no matter what vendors do, we can always find fault with a product. The bottomline here is, this is a great, cheap GPS bundle that will please its audience crowd: those looking for a very affordable way to get on the GPS bandwagon.
Hope you've found my long review helpful. (...) BTW, my Sharp Actius MM20 laptop is terrific and can be purchased at sharpsystems dot com -- (....)
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