Microsoft Streets & Trips 2009 with GPS

AMAZON WAS TWO DAYS LATE WITH DELIVERY. FOUND AT WALMART FOR SAME PRICE LESS SHIPPING. COULD HAVE HAD IT SAME DAY INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR LESS.

Why buy a portable GPS. This program on a laptop provides a bigger screen and just as much function as the little hand helds but much easier to see while you are driving if you have room to set up a laptop. All at a fraction of the price.

great on train trips- especially during the night when you have no idea where you are.

Needed to update from older MS software version and GPS unit. Both ads on Amazon and partner site showed 2009 box with the LATEST GPS unit. The Amazon writeup clearly indicated an update to the GPS unit was included in the 2009 release. Received purchase from partner site and although box indicated 2009 version the GPS unit was NOT the same design as the one shown in the Amazon and partner sites. Opening the box proved that to be true. Needing to use the software and hardware for a lengthy trip in a few days, along with the hassle and expense of dealing with the partners return (RMA)rules required that I forgo the return of the unit. Lesson learned is to deal ONLY with Amazon directly furnished products since they DO stand behind their products with their guarantee. The trip has shown that the NEW version has MANY software problems.

If this is an improvement over previous versions, than the previous versions must have not worked at all. This software is awful! The voice prompt does not work unless you press the space bar, and the voice is terribly robotic, and cannot pronounce abbreviations. For instance, "turn left on SR52" comes out as "turn left on Senior 52!" Or "take ramp on right to U.S. 104" becomes "take ramp on right to us 104." The choppy voice prompt is just one downfall. Another is the nav feature that stopped navigating 300 miles from my destination, and only indicated the final directions, not the directions needed to get there.
And the route planner...how hideous. After inputting the exact location, complete with zip, it came back with locations nowhere near or even in the same state.
I used a Rand McNally product several years ago that works much better than this Microsoft junk.
I plan on returning this asap.