Microsoft Streets & Trips 2003 [Old Version]

Little new of practical value has been added in the intervening 3 years, other than more Microsoft (MS) bells & whistles and, admittedly, handsomer screens. But where the rubber really hits the road - updating maps and fixing erroneous cartography - precious little seems to have changed for the better. The 5-page instruction booklet barely gets you started and, as far as installation goes, is entirely silent (perhaps wisely so); instead, in usual MS fashion, it refers you to the Help section which, again in usual MS fashion, is shallow and virtually useless unless you happen to know the relevant keyword; the website, likewise, doesn't go into sufficient detail. For instance, the handy labels attached to pushpins to mark a location of interest can obscure a point of interest. If only one could rotate the marker to point to a different quadrant the annoyance would be resolved effortlessly; that minor irritation seems not to have been addressed as yet - perhaps I haven't discovered the proper `Help' buzzwords. Need phone help for an irritation like that? Sure, but MS will charge you for what should have been included in the software price.

Quibbles and warts aside, this still is the best mapping software package around - meaning that others are worse yet. The price, with the inevitable rebate is modest, installation (WIN-98SE) was painless, and the legible screen presentation quite attractive. Maps print beautifully on a color printer and can be emailed, and for black and white you can select gray-scale or fax mode for perfectly fine readability. The route mapping over major roads generally is reliable (but I wouldn't count too heavily on the printed directions), less so in cities where cartography may not have been updated for recent one-way streets or new suburbs; if you travel where major roads or exits have changed over the past years, I'd take an AAA map along, just to be sure. Clearly, updating every year is overkill; every 3 to 4 years should suffice unless MS forgets the glitz and digs into the basics of accuracy and currency of maps. S&T-2003 rates better than a 3-star average, and has the potential for a 4-star product in years to come.

If you use a PocketPC device, version 2003 is a must-buy since it fixes problems with pushpins and also allows you to map addresses from your PocketOutlook contacts.

Streets & Trips is so much easier to use and better looking than MapQuest or other online mapping services. For the price, it's a good buy for any PC owner. I have the entire database stored on my hard drive, so I don't have to insert the CD when I want to draw a map. The maps also print very nicely on our HP Photo Printer.

Microsoft's software is still at the top of the heap for this category.

Streets and Trips 2003 is a great product that offers more functionality and better performance than web-based map offerings or competitive products. While the product functionality is basically the same as S&T 2002, the data is vastly better. Interestingly, when I inquired about the horribly inaccurate data in Streets and Trips 2002 Microsoft agreed that it was poor! Microsoft indicated that it would be using an entirely new dataset for 2003. This is appears to be true. Clearly, there is a quantum leap forward in accuracy. The hotel data is of particular interest and it appears to very accurate, unlike that of its predecessor.

Since other sources will discuss general program attributes, let this review serve as a reference for savvy users. As an owner of other map programs and a former user of Mapquest, I have a great deal of experience with competitive products. At the same time, I have traveled 100% for my career and have used a GPS receiver with multiple map software products.

For those wondering why to purchase this program if there is free map web sites such as Mapquest, there are several reasons:

1)Speed
a. There is no need for connectivity, which can be a problem even for broadband users
b. Panning and zooming is virtually instantaneous
2)Map quality is far superior than those on web sites
3)My favorite: More powerful tweaking-You can set driving speeds of different types of roads, which is a extremely valuable in urban areas. For example, if you have a rush hour suburban Chicago to Chicago commute, the highways are not going to offer driving speeds of 65 mph. Hence, you modify interstate highways driving speeds to 30 (from 65) and local roads to 20 (from 35 and 31), which can then generate directions vastly different from the normal settings.
4)There are no advertisements on your screen or your print-outs
5)All around flexibility (save maps, plan trips, better analytics)
6)Multiple point-of-interest categories
7)You can save maps with user-defined points-of-interest and reload the maps
8) Integration with GPS receivers, which is helpful for road warriors with laptops

What is lacking (wishful thinking):
1)Integrated, real-time congestion data
2)Map data and point-of-interest updates via the Internet
3)Fast GPS data (the current version has a slow refresh rate)

Streets and Trips 2003 is an all around great product from both a usability and functionality standpoint. I would highly recommend it to both the casual tourist and the traveling professional.