Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008 with GPS [OLD VERSION]

The information support on Microsoft's webstie is severely lacking. Updating the software does not seem to be possible...even when brand-new. And since we had a new tollway extension in '07, it would have been nice to have that ON the '08 S&T--or at least updatable.

I've only tried the GPS once (when in Ft. Lauderdale), and it didn't work. Would try it again, but I got a Navagon for Fathers' Day...so I don't need it.

I like the concept of trip optimization. However, it still needs some work.

Even though it is 2008, there are roads built in 2005-2006 not in the directions. Makes for a HUGE problem.

Other than that, it works as advertised.

This product is great. I hardly ever lose and signal when using this product. It must be used outside so its perfect when driving in a car, Have it navigate your directions for you. It even has a trip planner. Best thing about it no monthly fees!

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 It's a minor annoyance, and I haven't run into an issue that I oouldn't figure out a way around, even using the outdated maps.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.

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.