Microsoft Streets & Trips (2010)

Review by William S. Grigsby for Microsoft Streets & Trips (2010)
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I’ve used MS S&T since it was initially offered (pre-affordable GPS) and gradually watched it decline in usefulness as the net and technologies evolve. With this current version, even with the few improvements over the 2009 version, I wouldn’t recommend it at all to a new user and only would recommend it as an upgrade if your version is more than 2 years old (unless you can find it for less than twenty bucks).

While netbooks (and to some extent the new generation of energy efficient processors just coming out this Xmas) have extended the life of this product, it is just not as functional while traveling as a good GPS unit. I still use it for planning, but more and more I find other online mapping tools more useful as wifi becomes more ubiquitous and 4G broadband adds coverage. The maps are not updated (I find major local errors still uncorrected after 4 years here in Ohio and on a trip to California, numerous serious flaws in Sacramento, the Napa Valley, and the Sonoma Valley – not to mention an abrupt loss of functionality along the way).

I like (and have) the GPS version while on the road at night (using the night map) and also use it while traveling to find side trips of interest (one thing not a strong point of auto GPS devices). But our Garmin GPS is much stronger for routing and seems to have a much better POI dataset. In fact, the online mapping services also have better POI info and MS S&T is unlikely to improve unless it is integrated with Bing or something.

Overall, licensing restrictions (1 machine – should be at least 2 including a laptop/netbook), lack of adequate data revision/updating, and the availability of cheaper GPS units and wifi, I’d say – give this one a pass unless you have a very compelling reason to use it.

Edit 7/12/2010 – Somehow I got the licensing wrong, actually S&T DOES allow 2 installs. My bad.

Review by A. Voll for Microsoft Streets & Trips (2010)
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The new “Streets and Trips” can only be used and registered on one computer.

Would not buy it again for this reason.

Shuts off the second computer automaticly after a 60 days trial. Since I need to use Streets and Trips at home and on my web book while driving its useless for me.

All the older versions could be used on multiple computers. Microsoft should have put a warning sign at the outside of the package about their policy change.

Alfred Voll

Review by Jerry Mattson for Microsoft Streets & Trips (2010)
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While the updated data base was the desire and achieved purpose of getting the latest version, it sufers from classic Microsoft update. Ease of use is severely impacted. My favorite means of navigation was to selct a region and tehn zoom in, you can’t do that any more. Now you have to center and zoom, then re-center and zoom, not nearly as easy or effecient.

Also, as a program that needs to be “activated” it is no longer convienent to have on multiple computers. This substantially degrades the value of the product.

Review by R. Johnson for Microsoft Streets & Trips (2010)
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I had an older version of this and liked it. The “2010″ version is not up to date. A local freeway that is at least 3 years old is not even on the map! In addition, the software can only be installed on one computer, so I can’t have it on my laptop and desktop unless I buy it twice. If I had known these two facts, I wouldn’t have bought it.

Review by Jonathan Birge for Microsoft Streets & Trips (2010)
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To hopefully help you make a decision on this, I’ll start by summarizing: This program is, in almost every way, inferior to online offerings such as Google maps, but may be of great use to you if you find yourself needing access to mapping and routing away from an Internet connection.

REASONS TO AVOID

Relative to online maps, the S&T maps are less informative, less visually appealing, not as current, and the business and waypoint info is not as up-to-date or complete. This software is getting old; despite a few tweaks and a few bells and whistles added each year, the mapping engine is largely the same one Microsoft has used for about a decade. The maps are non-antialiased, with blocky patterns and awkward label placement.

The map data is provided on a far courser scale than what you’ll get on Google maps, which means that roads often look like they take sudden angles. Looking at a curved road in Google maps shows, well, a curved road. Looking at the same in S&T often shows a road that appears to take several sharp turns. While all of these detractions are probably necessary to allow the program to fit on a DVD (with the possible exception of the dated and ugly map engine) the bottom line is that Google maps or MapQuest provide far better maps and faster routing. Amazingly enough, Google maps is able to redraw maps over the internet quicker than S&T can on your desktop, and adding stops to existing routes on Google is far more intuitive, and the resulting reroute is done in realtime.

I don’t mean to be too harshly critical of this program, as most of the limitations are a direct result of the need to fit the program on a DVD (with the possible exception of the dated map engine). However, it’s quite clear that while Google and others have made great strides with online mapping, Microsoft has been content to let this program languish. If they wanted to, they could leverage the power of desktop graphics to make a truly compelling map experience to justify a desktop mapping program. However, they’ve let this program atrophy to the point that Google is able to make a faster, more responsive map on a browser!

REASONS TO BUY

There are two situations where I can see this software being a good fit, despite the above criticism. The first is if you expect to often have a need for routing and mapping away from a good internet connection. It is rather nice, on occasion, to have a map of the entire country available to you when on the road. Second, if you have a laptop mount in your car and a USB GPS you can use this as an in-car GPS system with turn-by-turn directions. I haven’t been able to try this, as I don’t have a car-mounted laptop, from what I can tell from playing with S&T, it would make a very powerful and flexible in-car GPS.