Very good, but some features need more work

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	• Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008 with GPS Windows \| Microsoft Software, 2007 average customer review:based on 43 reviews view larger image
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Very good, but some features need more work

Microsoft sells three products that all have some level of commonality: Streets & Trips (S&T), MapPoint, and AutoRoute Europe. All three products work similarly but create incompatible files - and should never be the case with MS products. I save maps of customer locations around the country, as well as marked-up maps of enjoyable back roads for car club drives. I've switched to S&T a few years ago since I don't require all the programmability features in MapPoint. Now I have a sizable library of MapPoint routes that can't be read by S&T and there is no way to convert them.

I don't understand why there are 3 products that are so alike - and yet are totally incompatible. There should be one, in a standard and pro version, locale-specific, with and without programmability.

I've been using S&T for business trips for 10 years - you certainly don't want to be late to a customer meeting. However, S&T 2008 is in some ways a step backwards. The 2008 version occasionally makes bad choices of routes and has even chosen some circuitous routes in the DC area (the last place where you need errors!). The 2008 updates to the Navigation Mode are very poor: the interface has terrible usability, isn't resizable, and doesn't integrate well with the maps being shown. It's also frustratingly difficult to use on smaller laptop screens.

The interface itself has is too complex to use while moving - in fact it can be outright dangerous to do anything but take a quick glance at the screen. This would be a great candidate for the Office Ribbon interface and it also needs much better integration with the TabletPC (particularly touch). A TabletPC is my laptop of choice and is the ideal platform for S&T.

What's the situation with the dev teams for these products? Are they one and the same? Is there a multi-year product plan? Is there any code sharing? Features like the Navigation Pane seem to take a tiny step forward each year - but where is the product going long term? What will the final Navigation Pane look like and how long will it take to get there? Has anybody thought about usability of the spoken directions?

I had a big long phone call with the S&T developers several years ago and made some suggestions for their then-fuzzily-defined GPS module requirements (t was very difficult to find a GPS device which would work with MapPoint or S&T). I suggested at the time that they use their corporate resources to include a GPS receiver in the box, since their requirements for one made it very difficult or impossible for the average person to buy. Apparently they got that reaction from a bunch of people since that was one of the big improvements they've made in the product. Yes, you can get a better GPS receiver, but you have to know what you are doing and the one they've chosen solves the problem for 95% of the potential users.

Despite my complaints, I depend heavily on S&T and have better hopes for the 2009 version. What would I like to see over the next release or two?
- move to a Standard and a Pro version. With and without API programmability. Consider a move to a bluetooth GPS instead of the wired model.
- consider allowing the end user to draw in new roads. This may be the Pro version. A graphical interface to the underlying database would be needed. And of course any changes made must be able to be moved to new future versions.
- completion of the evolution of the Navigation Pane. All components resizable, undockable, etc.
- move to the Office 2007 (or 10?) Ribbon - TabletPC and touch enabled. Make sure that the map size slider is physically large so that it can be easily accessed by finger, pen, or mouse. A too-small slider on the bottom (for example, the one in Word 2007) would be unusable. Use the full Ribbon methodology - the current product has too many small icons and they need to be grouped appropriately. The Ribbon also has to be accessible with voice commands for usability and safety purposes.
- a single file format for all S&T, MapPoint, and AutoRoute. Plus upwards migration for old files.
- rethink the algorithms for route selection. Somehow that took a downtown for 2008. A usability plus would be to allow the selection of "quickest route" or choices such as "most direct" or "greatest use of highways" right n the ribbon, so that users can choose the most appropriate route for the particular circumstances. Showing two or three route choices would be very useful.
- think about commonality with future versions of Microsoft Auto. If, for example, Sync were to gain a navigation function it should obviously be in common with the S&T interface and maps. Both to help users who are used to this format, as well as to share development expenses and yield better and more complete maps.
- I have a strong need for this product to cover Japan, but with an English interface. I know, I ask for a lot, but a cell phone interface is too small for that task and I can't find anything that will service this same purpose as well.

Yes, I ask for a lot! But there isn't a better product to be had on the market and I depend on this on nearly a daily basis.

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Great for Planning Your Trip

Works well on my computer and is great for our road trips, very accurate and easy to work.

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Almost a winner

It's called Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008, but the maps are probably five years old. It's mostly accurate. I would say the positioning is entirely accurate, but since several of the roads we travel have been rebuilt or built since the maps were last updated, it sometimes shows us driving through a field, where the new road or modified road has been built. It's a minor annoyance, and I haven't run into an issue that I oouldn't figure out a way around, even using the outdated maps. The routing sometimes isn't what I would choose, but by adding waypoints, I can always get it to go in what looks like a more efficient manner.
The USB adapter for the GPS sensor is junk, and the reason I had to purchase the 2008 version was because when the adapter broke on the 2007 version, it was cheaper to buy the program with hardware, than to replace the broken part. It looks like a $5 piece of plastic and is as flimsy as a $1 piece of plastic, but when You can finally find it, it costs $40 plus $12 for shipping for a replacement. Be very very careful.
Still - it's a functional GPS, and I can plug the speakers from my laptop into my radio and and adjust the volume so that I can play MP3's and still get the announcements of the next instruction through the radio.
It's still a cheaper option than the 3 inch screen portable GPS's.

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Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008 with GPS

very good, always has good satellite signal and offers very good information during the journey

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Streets & Trips with GPS Locator helps you travel with complete confidence and it's so easy. This comprehensive trip planning software makes route planning a snap, anywhere in U.S. and Canada. Calculate mileage, pick out the fastest routes and mark points of interest. It gets you where you're going quickly, easily, and without all the guesswork. Microsoft Streets & Trips 2008 with GPS Locator pairs the power of Streets & Trips, the best-selling travel and map software, with a sleek new Global Positioning System receiver. You'll always know exactly where you are. Map your route, plug the GPS receiver into your laptop, and go! It starts with all the door-to-door routing, location-finding and comprehensive mapping power of Microsoft Streets & Trips, and adds a plug-and-play Global Positioning System (GPS) locator that helps you stay on track, and always knows where your next turn is. Includes sleek, stylish, ultra-compact GPS device with SiRF star III technology. It's 10 times more sensitive than previous models, finds your location faster, and has the power to locate you even in most buildings or a crowded city. All-new USB adapter provides the flexibility to travel cable-free! Just plug the included GPS receiver and adapter into your notebook PC and go. Reroute any time you wish, instantly, without going online Find out where to expect construction on any local or state road in the US or Canada Import contacts from Microsoft Office Outlook or Excel into your maps View the map in Full Screen mode & refer to the estimated drive time to always know how far you are from your destination Connect the included GPS receiver right into your computer's USB port and travel cable-free with the new USB adapter Windows VISTA and XP friendly

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