Microsoft Streets & Trips 2009 with GPS

I have been using streets and trips now for years. My husband is a limo driver and uses it all the time to find the locations of his customers.
It's quicker than mapquest and shows you all the surrounding area for alternate routes. Of course you need to be able to read maps but I would never be without it. I haven't had a chance to use the GPS but I'm sure it beats Garmin which I really didn't like and found hard to use.

Only a couple of complaints. First, the documentation and help for this are horribly inadequate, causing a serious learning curve in order to figure out all the features. Be prepared for a lot of trial and error before you can quickly and easily navigate with this thing. You're on your own.

Second, the audio is VERY low. I have my laptop volume as far up as it can possibly go, and I still cannot understand the navigation voice over highway noise. And I drive a brand new car that is quite quiet. They definitely need to put a volume control on the program itself. I mean seriously, this is made to use in a car! What was MS thinking?

Third, the database of sites that can be displayed on the map is terribly inadequate. If you set it to display schools, you won't see many schools. I realise that new schools are being built all the time, but even old schools are commonly not shown. Same with many other sites. It would also be nice if fire and police stations were in the database to be shown as an option.

Now the good stuff. The program was incredibly easy to install, set up, and get started using. No problems at all quickly getting on the road with it, albeit very basically.

Not sure what everyone is complaining about with the GPS hardware. It has worked just fine for me. During the several interstate trips I have taken since buying this, I have only a couple of times lost GPS contact. But I had the GPS module attached directly to the laptop. The problem was very quickly remedied by putting the GPS module on the dashboard, using the extension cable.

I am amazed at how many streets that I would never expect to see appear on this product. Even the streets on some military bases and many private roads. It is also very good about showing all names for a road when multiple names are used locally. There are obviously some inaccuracies found in all maps, and this one is no exception. Some long closed streets still show up, and some newer ones still do not. But overall, the accuracy is extremely impressive. I have used Delorme, and this program is definitely more accurate and easier to use.

I've used Streets & Trips for several years now and have been pretty satisfied with the software itself. I decided to update to 2009 and get the GPS receiver with it this time. Being familiar with how a GOOD GPS works (I have both a Garmin auto and hand-held) I should have known better than to spend the extra money to get the Pharos receiver in the package. A wire coathanger could pick up satellites as good as this thing does.

When using MS Streets with the GPS Doggle it allows 2D Map view rather than the 3D tunnel view that the Garmin/TomTom family of windshield GPS units offer. Have already found streets (that have been built for years) missing and 1 incorrect in a small area. There mapping company needs help. A co-worker with a TomTom that is a year older has the (missing) streets. Good program, but the data needs more updates sooner.

I bought MSft S&T2008 as my wife and I are retired and we travel extensively in our RV. I could have bought a Garmin, TomTom GPS etc but I didn't want to keep track of another piece of equipment. The first problem I had was the software. It would not load properly so I called Cust Service (India) and it took half an hour and I gave up. I waited a few days and called again and this time it loaded but it was unable to locate me -- the rep said that I must be in a location where the locator could not find a satellite. So I took it on the road. Unfortunately it couldn't locate me in WA, OR nor CA. The software showed me to be somewhere in Missouri. I didn't even try to call India again -- I just returned it. I hope you have better luck than I did.