Comments on: Microsoft Streets & Trips 2008 tracks traffic, gas prices

The driving navigation system for your laptop adds updates about traffic and the cost of gasoline.

[ss_Whiplash]

Make it compatible

The cool thing about Streets and Trips is it's planning tools. It also looks better than any other mapping package I've played with. The real shortcoming, for me anyway, is that it doesn't work with my Garmin Zumo 550. So I still have to use the crappy looking Garmin software to transfer routes to my unit. I would love it if MS made this work with other GPS units.

[felixderkater]

Oy

To you, as a consumer, that might make sense, but to Microsoft, it makes none at all. They can add $80 to the software asking price and include their own receiver. You must remember this is Microsoft we are dealing with.

[rcurry71]

There is so much more than what was written

For those professionals that travel a lot, already have their laptop for other reasons, and need to determine the quickest route to get to 20 locations that day, IT IS AWESOME. I have never owned or operated a small dashmount GPS unit, but I doubt that you can take enter several locations quikly into it. I can import my Outlook contacts into it in about 5 seconds. I then tell it to find me the quickest route for my 20+ stops, while at the same time considering that I need to be somewhere precisely at noon for a lunch meeting. Can a dashmount unit do that?

What it comes down to is your needs/habits. I have a laptop mount in my vehicle and an inverter to keep it powered. Im not a truck driver but they love this product!

Perhaps you can write a new balanced article that exposes all of the advantages of MS S&T and perhaps discuss how people have been using it.

Thanks!

[MyPointExactly]

Echoing rcurry71. It seems negative reviews on Microsoft Streets and Trips are always slanted toward a GPS device comparison. Yet for business planning and execution, there is no better mapping software or dedicated GPS device out there.

Sales people who cover a territory, can import thousands of prospects, assign them unique pushpins that identify their 'sales value' , search for best prospects and plan sales calls that group them together. They then plug in a GPS receiver and the laptop they have to carry with them anyway guides them with GPS turn by turn spoken directions. They keep their eyes on the road, instead of having to glance down to read hand written directions - or a printout map.

Streets and Trips helps reduce the cost of sales by ensuring reps know about all the opportunities in the area - and because they have great planning tools that let sales reps ask questions like "show me how many prospects are within ?X? driving minutes of my current location" and more - they can travel more efficiently and see more prospects in the same trip - saving gas and maybe even a return airfare. Reps spend more time in front of the prospect selling instead of behind the windshield driving. www.mypointsales.com

[MyPointExactly]

Echoing rcurry71. It seems negative reviews on Microsoft Streets and Trips are always slanted toward a GPS device comparison. Yet for business planning and execution, there is no better mapping software or dedicated GPS device out there.

Sales people who cover a territory, can import thousands of prospects, assign them unique pushpins that identify their 'sales value' , search for best prospects and plan sales calls that group them together. They then plug in a GPS receiver and the laptop they have to carry with them anyway guides them with GPS turn by turn spoken directions. They keep their eyes on the road, instead of having to glance down to read hand written directions - or a printout map.

Streets and Trips helps reduce the cost of sales by ensuring reps know about all the opportunities in the area - and because they have great planning tools that let sales reps ask questions like "show me how many prospects are within ?X? driving minutes of my current location" and more - they can travel more efficiently and see more prospects in the same trip - saving gas and maybe even a return airfare. Reps spend more time in front of the prospect selling instead of behind the windshield driving. www.mypointsales.com

[VICPERDIDO]

DOWNSIDE ABOUT MICROSOFT STREETS AND TRIPS!!!!!!!!!. I have been using MS Sts n Trps since 2001, and have purchased the upgrades anually. If you are comtemplating purchasing this product they also have something else new for this year.........If you have more that 2 computers that you want to install this product on, go ahead and BUY TWO MIC ST,S N TRIPS while your at the store because you get a key that is only good to install this product on 2 computers. And look as you may you wont find that "NEW" feature in red bold letters on the box when you purchase it. It is conveniently hidden in the License terms when you install it that nobody takes 3 hours to read, especially when they are anxious to get the new version installed. THANKS MICROSOFT FOR THIS "NEW" FEATURE THAT YOU HID SO WELL. Maybe we will get to read about a class action law suit soon for false advertisement, I certainly hope so, because it is. And I would love to get on that band wagon.