Review by Donna Milano
Published in March 2004 issue of microCHIP
"Streets & Trips" is a software program used to generate driving directions and maps. Compared to Mapquest or Yahoomaps, "Streets & Trips" gives you a lot more flexibility and much more control as well as freedom from the internet for your results.
I bought "Streets & Trips" in 2001 after having tried several mapping programs by two other manufacturers. The third manufacturer was the charm. I preferred "Streets & Trips 2001" to the others and used it regularly. I decided to update to "Streets and Trips 2004" when the price was right. The cost was $40, less a $10 rebate from the store, and then another $10 rebate from Microsoft.
[In case you forgot, Microsoft will provide User Groups with copies of software for review. Once the software review is written by a member and then submitted to the Microsoft website, I can request another program for review. The reviewer gets to keep the software. Last year I was able to convince a MHCUG member to review "Streets & Trips 2003". You can read her review in the March 2003 issue of MicroChip. Since I have such a hard time getting MHCUG members to review software I will submit this review to Microsoft and then we will raffle off the copy of "Streets & Trips 2004" received from Microsoft.] My comparisons will be between the 2001 and the 2004 versions of the program.
Installation was a cinch, practically foolproof. I installed the full version so that I won't have to use a "run" CD each time I use the program. This same option was also available in the 2001 version. When given the choice, I elected to keep both versions. Once this review is done I will most likely uninstall the previous version. Right now both are working fine. I can read the maps and trips created with the 2001 version without any glitches. The maps in 2004 seem to appear crisper and cleaner than 2001. Full installation and registration took less than 10 minutes.
You can get down to street level for the USA and Canada, and you can display maps for any country in the world. So besides using the program to configure travel routes and trips, it can also serve as a world atlas. I have to admit that when I was checking out Antarctica I was a little confused as to why the continent kept spinning around the screen, but I eventually figured it out.
The best part about writing this review is that I discovered several features that I never knew I had! For instance, you can measure distances between any two or more points on the map. The crooked part of Lombard St. in San Francisco is 176 yards (.1 mile) and Alaska really is only 50 miles from Russia. You can change the configured route merely by clicking and dragging to the preferred roadway; you can display the Latitude and longitude of a place; and you can change font sizes on the map. I was pretty happy with the program even before I knew all these features existed. Now that I know, it's even more fun.
You can choose to display "Nearby Places" such as hotels, restaurants, public buildings, hospitals, bus stations, and gas stations. Double-clicking on the place on the map brings up the address and phone number. What more could you ask for?
If you are connected to the Internet, you can double-click the directions to download road construction information. This is always a good idea to do when you can.
There are a variety of options for printing directions &/or maps. You can print turn-by-turn maps; strip maps; each stop on a different page; and for longer trips, each day on a separate page. You can also save the map as a web page. Gone are the days when you could pull into a gas station and get free road maps. This program is a better substitute.
When all is said and done, this is a neat little program that has been extremely useful to me and has provided me with hours of enjoyment. I'm confident that it will continue to be a useful and worthy product. For more information: www.microsoft.com.streets. I have another Microsoft mapping product called MapPoint 2004. Any member willing to write a review can have the software. Go to Microsoft's site to find out about MapPoint and let me know if you are interested in writing a review in return for the software. See me at a meeting or email me at vp-programs@mhcug.org.