Microsoft Streets & Trips 2009 [OLD VERSION]
by Microsoft Software
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Software Reviews of Microsoft Streets & Trips 2009 [OLD VERSION]
Customer Review: Clunky
Summary: 2 Stars
I used MS Streets & Trips during a week long road trip and grew increasingly frustrated with it each day.
I stopped using it on the third day and reverted to trusty paper maps.
Outdated maps.
Very slow startup time.
Clumsy graphical interface and ugly maps.
Non-intuitive interface.
Crashes often on my Lenovo S10 netbook running Windows 7 release candidate.
It's better to have than not have when on a road trip without internet access. However, a standalone GPS unit is much more functional. A traditional paper map is also easier to use and doesn't crash.
Customer Review: A nice update for a simple GPS program
Summary: 3 Stars
This is an excellent starter program for those wanting to explore GPS software. It's intuitive to use and has all the functions a user is most likely to want in the beginning. I wanted this to update my previous version so I could have more recent maps for Las Vegas. My husband and I use a Garmin to map our property and have played with it on long trips but its really expensive to get new maps and cumbersome to use. Streets and Trips is a lot of fun to use, it's easy to find what you are looking for and since it is set up like most MS programs, there's a very short learning curve. I delayed writing a review before this because I wanted to take it out on a roadtrip first, unfortunately summer is over and no trips are in view so I can't really give a detailed comparison on this version and my old one. That's why I'm only giving it an average rating (3 stars) I'll update my review and hope to upgrade the stars should occasion arise for a trip to test this though.Customer Review: A great software
Summary: 5 Stars
Very pleased with the way my order was dealt with and the prompt delivery was most appreciatedCustomer Review: Mapping for mobile radio tracking
Summary: 4 Stars
While I purchased this program for "normal use" in finding the location of specific addresses, my main purpose was for use in tracking assistance-vehicles while they are participating in public service events like bike races. It allows the plotting a race course--in separate colors for different parts of the race--and then allows the tracking of GPS radio equiped vehicles over the course during the race. The good part of this software is that it allows you to zoom in to any part of the map in case the vehicles get lost and need directions back to the course.
It is quite easy to use. The one area I hope will be improved is in drawing the paths on the roads. It would be nice to be able to more easily draw and then alter the paths once on the maps.
On balance, it is a very good piece of software and I recommend it as a mapping program.
Customer Review: No Windows Mobile Support & No GPS Receiver Included
Summary: 4 Stars
Nowadays, I have grown to be very dependant on GPS Navigation Systems. I have the Garmin Nuvi 360 and iGuidance 1.0 (a Pocket PC Navigation Program I use with a Bluetooth GPS receiver).
I should probably point out right off the bat that the Streets and Trips 2009 does not include a GPS receiver. To make use of the GPS functionality, you would need to purchase a GPS receiver.
Installation
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(+) The program installed on Windows XP without a hitch.
(-) Streets & Trips does NOT include Pocket Streets, so you won't be able to use the program on your Windows Mobile Smart Phone or Pocket PC. Microsoft stopped including Pocket Streets for Windows Mobile starting in version 2008.
Data Entry
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o Quick Manual Entry Method
You can omit the city and state information by simply entering the street and zip code. For example, you can enter 917 NW Harriman Street 97701 in lieu of 917 NW Harriman Street, Bend, OR 97701
o Right-Click Method
Right click the map and on the menu select Route/Set as end. You can also select Set as end or Set as stop for setting the point as the start of the destination and for setting the point as a stop, respectively.
o POI (Point of Interest) Method
Search for Points of Interest in the following categories (you can check off all the categories you want to conduct the search on):
Airlines, Attractions, Automotive, Bowling, Car Rental, Casual Dining,
Condos & Resorts, Cruise Lines, Dry Cleaning, Fine Dining, Golf, Grocery,
Health & Beauty, Home & Garden, Hotel, Informal & Carryout, Live Events,
Miscellaneous, Movies, Museums, Music/Books/Video, Retail, Services, Skiing,
Special Events, Sporting Events.
Next, specify the search radius in miles. You can display the search results alphabetically or by distance.
Map View
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(+) Smooth and Responsive Zoom in/out and Dragging
You can very quickly zoom in and out of maps by using the scroll wheel. The map is also very responsive to zooming and mouse drags.
(-) Bing Maps
Click on the icon on the toolbar to be directed to Bing maps in your browser for a satellite view of the map. Bing maps functions like a watered down version of Google maps. Maps are slow to load and there is no Street View like Google maps where you can zoom, rotate, pan through, or "walk through" street level *photos* of the maps.
Speech Engine
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(+) Street Names
The spoken directions not only give you the turn by turn directions but the street names as well. For example, it will give a direction like "At 0.3 miles turn left onto Marysville Ave."
(-) Synthesized Voice
The female voice that gives directions is computer synthesized. Most of it is understandable, but just barely. Problems typical of speech engines (such as run-on words, choppiness, and whacky inflections) are especially pronounced. My Garmin and iGuidance GPS systems do a much better job of synthesized speech. Here are examples of a couple of glaringly bad mispronunciations: It improperly pronounces U.S. (as in highway US-50) as "us." It cuts off before finishes saying "two", so "two" sounds more like "t-" (the "t" consonant sound).
Miscellaneous
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(+) Construction Information Update
You can download construction information from the MapPoint site for an update of the latest road works. If your construction information is out of date, the software notifies you with "The construction information for routes is out of date. Do you want to download a free update from the Microsoft MapPoint web service?" Select Yes.
(+) Re-route
If you make a wrong turn, it will automatically recalculate a new route on-the-fly.
(+) Push-Pin and Other Customizations
You can use the push-pin to mark and annotate your own points of interest. You can draw on or highlight areas of the map free hand or with tools like the polygon tool and the line tool.
(+) Saved Trips
Each trip can be saved onto your hard drive as a .est file.
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I'm disappointed that it does not include Pocket Streets for Windows Mobile. So, if you plan on using this program on-the-go, you would have to lug around your laptop. My other major gripe is the poorly synthesized voice that is at times a little hard to understand. All in all, Streets & Trips is usable but not spectacular. **** 4 stars.