Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006
Manufacturer: Microsoft Part number: B17-00282
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 is an easy-to-learn mapping program with lots of extras for GPS users. But for more points of interest, choose DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2006 instead.
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CNET editors' review
Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 price range: $61.99
- Reviewed by: Jeff Bertolucci
- Edited by: Robert Vamosi
- Reviewed on: 12/09/2005
- Released on: 10/06/2005
The good: Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 is easier to navigate than DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2006, uses Wi-Fi hot spots to find your location, and includes new voice directions for GPS users.
The bad: Streets and Trips 2006 displays fewer restaurants, hotels, and other points of interest than Street Atlas USA.
The bottom line: Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 is an easy-to-learn mapping program with lots of extras for GPS users. But for more points of interest, choose DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2006 instead.
Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 is a slick mapping program that's great for planning weekend getaways, cross-country treks, and other vehicular excursions. This year's version displays about 5.9 million miles of roads, plus another 1.8 million points of interest, including ATMs, museums, restaurants, and zoos. Impressive sounding, perhaps, but DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2006 shows more eateries and attractions, a fact we learned when using both programs to explore various U.S. cities. Example: In a square block of downtown San Francisco west of Moscone Center, Streets and Trips shows only 4 points of interest, while Street Atlas USA displays 11. Free mapping services, such as Google Local, also help to make Streets and Trips a tough sell. If ease of use is critical in a software-based atlas, Microsoft Streets and Trips is your best choice. If you want a mapping program that shows the most restaurants, hotels, and other roadside attractions, DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2006 is the better pick.
Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 provides a better interface than DeLorme Street Atlas USA 2006. To view a city map, for instance, you simply type its name in the Find box. By comparison, Street Atlas makes you enter start and finish locations in separate windows, then it calculates the route before displaying a map--a slower approach. And it's easier in Streets and Trips to load sections of a map not on the screen--just click near the edge of the map window. The same task in Street Atlas requires an annoying click-and-drag procedure, which gets tiresome after a few tries. Not that online mapping services are any better, as is evident from a real-life comparison of online mapping capabilities.
Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 offers some enticing extras. Our favorite is the link to MSN Virtual Earth, Microsoft's online repository of satellite maps. Let's say you're viewing a map of San Francisco's Union Square and you want a bird's-eye view of it. Click the Virtual Earth icon at the top of the screen, and a satellite image of Union Square loads in your browser. Granted, this may be fluff, but it's fun. Far more useful are the (optional) GPS-related upgrades, particularly the new voice directions--crucial for using Streets and Trips while driving. (We'll examine the GPS features in a separate review.) If you don't have a GPS transponder but do have a Wi-Fi connection, the new Locate Me feature can utilize Wi-Fi hot spots to estimate your location. Naturally, you'll first have to be inside a Wi-Fi hot-spot range for this feature to work.
Another new tool called Night Map Style is like wearing night-vision goggles. The map's background is pitch black, and roads and street names are shown in shades of green. It's convenient for night driving and other low-light conditions, although most of the background detail, including points of interest icons, aren't visible. We prefer the conventional map view, which is easy to read on a backlit laptop at night. Your visual preferences may vary.
Microsoft's support for Streets and Trips 2006 is very pretty generous. Streets and Trips includes one year of unlimited e-mail and toll-free telephone support--almost unheard of in software technical support. Microsoft promises e-mail responses within one business day. Microsoft also provides a searchable knowledge base dedicated to Streets and Trips 2006, as well as blogs, chats, and newsgroups, all available online.
User reviews
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Waste of Money
by ltbg421 on January 27, 2006
Pros: Good GPS features.
Cons: Poor address information in my area.
Summary: I had the 2003 version so I purchased the Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 to possibly get updated maps of my area. Too bad, so sad for me. If you ...
Summary: I had the 2003 version so I purchased the Microsoft Streets and Trips 2006 to possibly get updated maps of my area. Too bad, so sad for me. If you live in McMinn County Tennessee don't bother buying this version. There are very few house numbers on the streets especially in unincorporated areas. It doesn't show streams and lakes like the 2003 version that I had did. I'm a paramedic and I have been using the 2003 version to locate addresses on emergency calls, I can't do that with the 2006 version.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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At least it's cheap....
by craigbla on December 9, 2005
Pros: Simple to use
Cons: No support - maps out of date
Summary: This is my 3rd version and it hasn't changed much. It likes to corrupt the data files after awhile so saved locations will show other addresses - an old ...
Summary: This is my 3rd version and it hasn't changed much. It likes to corrupt the data files after awhile so saved locations will show other addresses - an old bug that they don't seem to ever fix. They ignore emails with corrections (typical Microsoft...) but it is cheap - I usually pay <> $18 so it's good for the money.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Ok but not great - many faults
by rnamro on September 19, 2006
Pros: Nice maps with good details. interface is well designed and user friendly.
Cons: many of the Exit numbers are incorrect. Often the map shows you driving off road, even though you are on the raod. points of interest are limited and many are out of date (wrong number).
Summary: I bought the software with the GPS antenna and went on a 2 week trip around the country crossing about 11 states.
I guess this trip really put the software ...Summary: I bought the software with the GPS antenna and went on a 2 week trip around the country crossing about 11 states.
I guess this trip really put the software to a comprehensive test.
At was easy to plan a route for the trip, the user interface was good and mostly user friendly.
It definitely saved our butts many times from being lost.
on the other hand, i am a programmer by profession and tend to have a critical eye for software, the following is my critique:
- Once a route is drawn and the GPS pane is active, the map does not allow you to select a location on the map to view points of interest around it; first you must disable the GPS pane then go back to do this.
- On many occasions, the high way exit number the driving directions were instructing us to take was the wrong number, this was really frustrating because you know how it is when you miss your exit or take the wrong one.
- on some occasions the map would show us driving off road while we are on the high way, it was funny at first but it became a problem when you are trying to watch where you are on the road to figure out the next turn, besides, it caused us to loose trust in the software directions during those times.
- on many occasions, the software caused the laptop to freeze or generate a microsoft error that needed to be reported, of course on the road i rarely had a wi-fi spot and even if you click "Report" it behaved as if it did report it when you know the report did not go any where.
over all, i think it is OK but i say this with out knowing how it compares to other products, so be diligent and do your shopping...1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Not bad; but not as good as it should be for a GPS system
by 2downunder2 on September 12, 2006
Pros: cheapness does count and at 10 to 20% of a Garmin GPS I think you get your moneys worth with MS Streets 2006.
Cons: not always good at mapping out the best route, requires a laptop to be truely portable that needs an external power supply. Laptop is kind of large for putting on the dash.
Summary: Just got this gem two days ago. On the way home from Des Moines, Iowa going down the newly (still being constructed) Highway 163 to Ottumwa it said "off route" ...
Summary: Just got this gem two days ago. On the way home from Des Moines, Iowa going down the newly (still being constructed) Highway 163 to Ottumwa it said "off route" when it didn't have the updated highway location. We've been driving on this new route/by-pass for almost two years now.
Yesterday I mapped out a route to pickup a person at a bus drop in Omaha, Nebraska. The drop off location was Chubby's c-store. I typed in chubby's and it found it right off (boy was I happy!). Then I got to looking at the route from Ottumwa to Omaha and noticed that a reality check was needed. Streets had me go off of I-29 (south) onto I-680 west, off on the first exit ramp turning left crossing the interstate and getting back on to I-680 east, returning to I-29 south, and then proceeding on down to Omaha. Not too swift. Better check out the route before taking off in your car!
On my Omaha trip I was low on laptop power and my car's cig lighter needs repair. I therefore switched off the laptop to save it for navigating in Omaha. When I switched it back on I was told "off route" & "proceed to route" with no chance to re-calc the route. Also the GPS Pane was totally dead, I couldn't get it to tell me even where I was on the map (perhaps here I need to read the directions some more as it is still new). It would have been helpful for the program to recompute the route automatically.
Con: The crap about "proceed to route" is really stupid...how about telling me how to get back on route??? Didn't it know where I was and where I should be headed???
Neutral: At first I thought it would be distracting to have the laptop set in the passenger seat instead of being small enough to place on the dash. However I really didn't mind having to look sideways at the screen. And the screen is really big & readable.
Con: you have to take your bulky laptop with you just to use your GPS. Ever thought about laptop theft? Mine cost almost 3000 bucks w/o the GPS.
Pro: you can take your laptop inside and plan or adjust your trip without being stuck in the car.
Pro: having your laptop with you allows you to access the internet at rest areas. In Iowa each rest area has free wireless access.
Pro: For city navigation it is really nice to have a full sized computer screen showing the up-coming streets.
BIG PRO: CHEAP---$105.97
I've used a Pioneer Avic-n2 in my dad's truck so therefore I do have some comparison to a more dedicated GPS system. You can look at my review of it here on CNET also. The Pioneer cost over 1200.00 bucks & is installed in the radio hole.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Gets me there everytime!
by jehoward3 on December 19, 2005
Pros: Plots the routes, easy to change if needed
Cons: Takes a while to load due to the graphics
Summary: I've used this product for several versions now and find it invaluable when I'm out making service calls and can not be on-line to access the Mapquest/Google ...
Summary: I've used this product for several versions now and find it invaluable when I'm out making service calls and can not be on-line to access the Mapquest/Google sites. Very easy to pan in or out. Quite accurate. Cheap. I don't use it with GPS, but at some point might consider that too.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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In general a very good mapping program for a low price
by ifubiok on November 17, 2005
Pros: Easy to use GPS interface
Cons: Useless for canoes and kayakers. Many rivers have totally disappeared from the 2004 version
Summary: If you plan on using this product to create maps or in your vehicle with a GPS, it works quite well. Be aware though that many rivers just don't ...
Summary: If you plan on using this product to create maps or in your vehicle with a GPS, it works quite well. Be aware though that many rivers just don't appear at all and many that do are just a thin line, including major rivers. If you happen to be driving in an area that is flooded, it would be nice to know where a river is.
I used the 2004 version to navigate the Tom Bigbee in conjunction with paper charts. It showed many small forks and the width of the river to scale. Now there is just a line. Also the Homossasa River in Florida is gone as well as the state park. My recommendation is buy the 2004 product unless you need the latest new streets and the fancier GPS interface2 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good once it starts going
by nyuhsuk on March 13, 2007
Pros: Voiced directions, easy main interface
Cons: Spotty GPS tracking activation, direction input
Summary: I bought this before '07 came out thinking what a great deal it was for the price compared to the stand-alone GPS units. I have used it to great efficiency ...
Summary: I bought this before '07 came out thinking what a great deal it was for the price compared to the stand-alone GPS units. I have used it to great efficiency since on my laptop.
Although the voice in the program is very soft and hard to hear even at high volumes, it provides a decent notice about upcoming events on the road. The tracker is very accurate and rarely if ever fails to grab a signal.
I have found two things that have irked me to no end.
First, when inputting directions, you have to explicitly state a start point in order to get the program to start routing either from that point or from your current position. Once it gets going, a simple re-map will quickyl redraw the best route for you.
Second, the USB GPS unit (PHAROS I believe) is easily detected by the system and takes minimal fiddling to get the program to recognize. But to my great annoyance, after you have everything set to go, the darn program refuses to start tracking your position... I've driven miles while trying to get the GPS to pick up the signal. The indicator stays grayed out for minutes at a time until some magic fairy decides it time to start tracking... Not really nice when you're trying to get a trip started and the blasted thing never gets going... I've had mixed experiences where it sometimes starts immediately and other times, long waits until it kicks in.
I don't know if I'm initializing the device and program incorrectly but the manually doesn't provide any clues as to what I (if I am) doing wrong.
All in all, once you have the thing set up and tracking, the software and device works beautifully. I'd say that the savings by choosing this as an alternative to a dedicated device is worth the hassles. And of course, this is assuming you have a laptop. -
Works Great, Use it almost everyday.
by Steve Hebert on October 24, 2006
Pros: I can pre-route my route on my desktop than transfer the file (on mmemory stick) to my Laptop that is mounted in the car.
Cons: No Automatic re-route, Not able to restict it from routing certain streets.
Summary: First this is the only GPS mapping program I've used so I can't compare it with others.
But I am a on the road salesman covering 4 states. ...Summary: First this is the only GPS mapping program I've used so I can't compare it with others.
But I am a on the road salesman covering 4 states. I've had this program about 8 months now and I use it all the time.
So far I've only had one ocassion where I got no satellite signal - for about 5 mins, And once it tried to route me over a bridge that was closed down.
As mentioned I normally map out my route on my desktop the night before and just use a memory stick run it from there on my Laptop (I leave the file on the stick and just run it right off that - works great) However I do have a Laptop mount in my car (see setup here http://i14.tinypic.com/4hiq1hs.jpg ) and don't think it would work anywhere near as well without that. (Unless you had a passenger)
I also have external speakers hooked a up and use the voice feature. It gives me plenty of warning when I will have to make a turn or whatever. I did end up upgrading to Windows XP for the voice to work for me. (Guess there are downloads you could get to avoid the upgrade)
Also I have looked at a few other programs (tomtom types) and hate the idea of such a small screen.
The only things I would like to really see changed. First allow me to restrict it from routing certain streets. There are some roads that I just don't want to go on (potholes - lights) even tho it may be shorter/quicker. Wish I could block those out from be routed. And also if you go off course for whatever reason it's does not have the ability to auto-reroute. Sure all you have to do is push f3, but that's not always all that easy if in traffic.
In conclusion - best money I've spent in a long time. -
functional for directions - not for points of interest
by davidmootoo on September 24, 2006
Pros: ease of use, cost
Cons: if using on the road, need another person - requires pc
Summary: I purchased this software with the sole purpose of getting to know Los Angeles a little better, since I am unfamiliar with american cities anyways. Points of interest and so ...
Summary: I purchased this software with the sole purpose of getting to know Los Angeles a little better, since I am unfamiliar with american cities anyways. Points of interest and so on are not really ... of interest to me - I get the address of where I need to go, and using the GPS pane, I click the button to calculate route based on my current position - and it works remarkably well.
Because this system requires a pc to work best, you will need someone else to handle the system while you drive, or you will need to make stops while you tweak the application.
Otherwise, this software app is very easy to use, the GPS is fairly accurate (although it sometimes may tell you to turn after you have passed the exit) but I believe this to be a factor of the pc's processing speed and capabilities.
Just make sure that your laptop's battery is fully charged or have a car adapter handy - because the last thing you want is to have a dead GPS when you are totally lost - TRUST ME. -
cheapest option and most functional software
by germanfive on July 19, 2006
Pros: price, software
Cons: lack of POI's
Summary: I just got MS Streets and Trips 2006. It installed flawlessly on my laptop. It works great. Make sure the passenger runs it though, otherwise you'll be sure to ...
Summary: I just got MS Streets and Trips 2006. It installed flawlessly on my laptop. It works great. Make sure the passenger runs it though, otherwise you'll be sure to get into accident. Detailed pictures. A lot of nice pics at http://www.navigadget.com/index.php/2006/06/26/review-of-microsoft-streets-and-trips-on-fujitsu-p7010/ if you are considering buying this.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Microsoft
- Part number: B17-00282
- Description: Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 is the trip planning software that offers accurate driving directions, and points of interest to help make the most of your trip.
General
- Category Reference / data source
- Subcategory Reference / data - maps/travel/address/phone directory
- Version 2006
- Language(s) English
- Localization North America
- License pricing Standard
- Localization English
Software
- License Type Complete package
- License Qty 1 PC
- License Pricing Standard
- Platform Windows
- Distribution Media CD-ROM
- Package Type Retail
System Requirements
- OS Required Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition,
Microsoft Windows XP Professional,
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional,
Microsoft Windows Server 2003,
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition,
Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition - Min Processor Type Intel Pentium II
- Peripheral / Interface Devices SVGA monitor,
4x CD-ROM - System Requirements Details Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition - Pentium II - RAM 24 MB - HD 500 MB,
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional - Pentium II - RAM 64 MB - HD 500 MB,
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition - Pentium II - RAM 32 MB - HD 500 MB,
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 - Pentium II - RAM 256 MB - HD 500 MB,
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition - Pentium II - RAM 64 MB - HD 500 MB,
Microsoft Windows XP Professional - Pentium II - RAM 64 MB - HD 500 MB
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Microsoft products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Microsoft
- Address:
One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052 - Phone: 1-425-882-8080
- Fax: 1-425-706-7329
