kengland4's Full Review: Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 with GPS Locator Fu...
Let me give you some background. I got my mom one of those stand-alone GPS units back in November-a Thanksgiving Special from Radio Shack-and I've yet to get it to work. I slaved over her laptop, crawled under the seat of her Jaguar, and poked and pawed all over the tiny unit. Not so much as a "blip." She even managed to lock it in her trunk and actually lose the key (no lie). That's pretty much where it's been for the duration. I later, however, happened upon a deal I couldn't resist...
I jumped on the offer when WOOT! (http://www.woot.com) offered this software-based product, brand-new, for $55, shipped. A quick "webparo" showed that the included GPS receiver was selling for $100 plus alone. I'd actually planned to resell the item and make a profit, but my wife started making some noise...
You see, I'd just acquired my first laptop-a used IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad X22-see http://www.epinions.com/content_349152448132. And I had the means to be truly portable with this device. I even hesitated for a while, not wanting to break the seal; but I finally gave in...
The installation requires 1 gigabyte plus (full install), and took quite some time for this 800 Mhz Pentium 3 to load, which was understandable given the age of the laptop. However, I plugged the receiver into the USB port, started the program, clicked on "locate me," and PRESTO--a neat red circle very quickly triangulated my position on a picnic table in my in-laws' backyard. It doesn't get much simpler than that.
Let me clarify. I didn't see any grainy photo of myself scarfing down a chicken wing on the Eastside... I saw a CRYSTAL-CLEAR image of the finger-lickin' good chicken still sweating from the uncertainty of being. That's my one gripe, however.
You see, no matter how much I fiddled and finagled, I could not get the image to zoom out to where I could see whole people. I would just see a nose here, a few pimples, nothing really interesting or useful for espionage and other chicanery. Gotcha!
All jokes aside, this is a seriously nice package, especially at less than $100. Me and my wife's terrestrial travails have carried us through much of the Southwest--as far east as the northeast tip of Florida, and northward, clear up to the Memphis, Tennessee bridge crossing the grand ole Mississippi River (Yahoo!). Between the 2 of us, we can usually get our bearings (in the larger picture). The devil's in the details, and we still occasionally get stuck, making inadvertent crop circles around a town center, unable to find that ONE freeway on-ramp. THAT'S where this product comes in really handy. It was also the proto-scenario we found ourselves in, in Escondido, CA the other day, whilst exiting the world-famous San Diego Wild Animal Park.
"I told you to turn left there!" my sister-in-law howled. "I remember it was just right ahead!" said my wife. "I told you the GPS was right!" I chimed in, eager to end my in-law's incessant rant of a game (she can be annoying, btw). And that statement elicited a few chuckles, after some startled silence.
You see, after a few miles of nonplussed meandering, I simply pulled the car over, booted up the laptop, and started up the program. Of course, it showed us less than 3 blocks away from our checkpoint, showed the direction and speed we were going, all in real-time. I had needed to end that charade immediately.
The GPS unit is an interesting-looking clear plastic unit with the word "MICROSOFT" emblazoned on the top. When plugged in, it puts out a cool, irridescent blue light, but directed away from the driver. There is a small suction cup looped into the cord. It didn't ever bang into the windshield--not even in my insane friend's recently "Craigquisition" of an '85 Toyota 4X4 (which is in serious need of some new shocks); it did concern me there, however. It does not beep, bleep, or curse.
I was impressed with the software (and I was not expectant of this outcome). I am a "map person" (thinking hard--cartosapien). I love maps, and like to pore over and explore them. I haven't played with it that much, but it pretty much became imminently clear that any future map purchases would be purely recreational, as this software negates the need for any. No more Dukes o' Hazzard 180-degree sweeping slides into a BP station parking space, only to frantically wander in and hope to borrow or barter a map, while questionable humans curiously gawk at you, bemused. Just boot up and hook into the wonderful network of space-junk, retrofitted to disabuse you of this affront to your senses.
You can search for nearby businesses, although it's evidentially a subscription-based model, in part, as more obscure ones are wanting. The search field is pretty forgiving, though, as you can be fairly general, although a search for "Walmart" in "Long Beach, CA" was turning up some competition in Canada and beyond. And it even lists restaurants by cuisine.
You can call up a "GPS Pane" at any time, and it will attempt to locate you by latitude and longitude, and stay displayed as a separate window, overlapping the map display. The speed sensor was accurate to within 1-2 MPH, as measured up to {{undisclosable}} (freeway speeds).
You can call up the "route planner," and set start, destination, and stop points. You can even schedule stops, or have the software automatically find the best projected times to hit checkpoints. Also, there is a "create GPS trail" option which does just that--creates a trace on the map of where you've been and where you're going.
There are many other features that I've not yet tried, as I've only had the software for about a week, but here's information on the few I have. It offers to locate you by the Internet, as well, which could be useful if the GPS sensor becomes damaged, or weather or another circumstance prevents communication with satellites; that could also be employed if you have the ability to use your cell phone as a modem, and get a signal. There is an option to integrate with Microsoft Virtual Earth, which I've not tried, but I imagine to be similar to Google Earth, offering actual photo imagery. You can choose a political or "terrain" map layout.
Here are some quirks, and features I would like to see. Sometimes, when absolutely stationary, the unit will indicate that one is "moving," as much as 2 MPH. It does have voice prompts, which my wife called "bossy" (I pointed out that it was a female voice, but haven't checked to see if a "husky" voice option exists). It would be nice to be able to load "voiceprints." Imagine the royalties if you could be directed by a facsimile of your favorite actor, person, or artificial intelligence--Hal 2000, K.I.T.T. (Knightrider), Angelina Jolie, and certain customer service representatives immediately come to mind. You have to sometimes hunt between "locate me" and "start GPS tracking" to get the sensor to get a clue--it's simple enough once you remember where these options are, but it can be distracting when trying to explain this to a passenger-navigator. You also have to agree to the terms and warnings EACH time you start GPS tracking, as related to the dangers of operating in a moving vehicle. The manual describes a way to move laterally and longitudinally (2 ways), but I haven't tried hard enough, I guess. All I've been able to do is zoom in and out. It is nice, however, to be able to have your position centered on the map/screen at all times (in setup/options). On reflection, however, selecting this option may've limited the other possibility.
I also haven't tried the Pocket Maps option, whereby you could download maps and routes to a pocket pc, palm (?), or smartphone. It sounds cool, though. The other very nice thing is it works with Pharos-compatible accessories, so you could connect it via bluetooth with these devices, making the device uber-portable. It would be really nice if you could track more than one sensor simultaneously, and maybe a LoJack or other car satellite tracking system. A lot of movies, and the "Spider-tracer," come to mind, hehe.
I don't know what 2 other reviewers were talking about when complaining about the graphics. If you want a blinged-out cartoon map, get a 3-D Garmin unit, or go to the "Cartoon Network-Cartography Division," But this is a standard, 2-dimensional deal, with no "bling" cherries.
That's pretty much "it."
Update-- If you plan on using this device sans any paper maps or atlases (and this may sound obvious), be sure you have adequate battery life and a power source that works. Also, it could really help if you knew EXACTLY where you were going, as vague/general queries will reveal just how many "Jacksons" and "Hollywoods" are in the world.
My wife and I were just out driving earlier, when I decided, on a whim, to go to what we only knew as "Saddleback," a neat mountainous area in Orange County, CA where there is a good 25-mile trail. We'd been there once, (barely) completed the hike, and had no good idea where it was.
I confidently pulled up the software, and entered all kinds of iterations of "Saddleback." I was satisfied with a seemingly small-enough area, with a "Saddleback Coffee House," and "Saddleback College." "We should be able to find it from there," I thought. Not so.
After precisely navigating to a "park," which, apparently, doubled as a school (closed), I searched for all the "parks" in a 5-mile radius. About 15 popped up. What? I had to then play the "guessing game." We found out a LOT about the area--mostly, that a lot of homes/neighborhoods have encroached on the natural habitats. And how hard it can be to find an entrance to a park. We finally settled on a semi-natural area with a botanical preserve, museum, and probably the nicest "YMCA" I've ever seen. The "swimming pool" area (Olympic-sized), reminded me of the one used for "illegal training" in the hilarious film, "Shaolin Soccer," nothing like the "Y's" you're used to passing by in more Urban areas.
What did I learn? Some Internet research & a precise address (preferably inclusive of lattitude and longitude)can forgo a LOT of frustration. I also learned that my 75-Watt power inverter is not stout enough to charge my laptop, which died whilst routing me to a destination. The stouter inverter, and the Thomas Guide, were in the "other" car. Here's a bumper sticker idea--"My OTHER car has the Thomas Guide," hehe. I also found out how to navigate the maps better, as alluded to, above.
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