FIGURE Q


Many GPS suites offer a Night view for navigating at night. Roll over picture for a larger image.

Overall, Microsoft's Streets& Trips, both the Standard and GPS versions, were easy to use, accurate, and reliable. I really only have two complaints.

First, it couldn't export a large area for use with Pocket Streets, crippling it somewhat for navigating long trips. And by large area, I mean an entire state. So what if it would have been a large file? Most Pocket PCs now are loaded with ample onboard memory and storage slots capable of supporting multiple gigabytes of space. Also, routes created on the PC are not exported to the handheld.

Second, I wish Pocket Streets were still included with Streets & Trips. It would make the package a bit more competitive with other suites, such as Delorme's Street Atlas. But its accuracy, ease of use, and stability already make it hands-down better than Street Atlas.

Microsoft does still offer Pocket Streets as an individual purchase from their site, and it is also included as part of their MapPoint suite.

Streets & Trips, both the Standard version and the GPS version, easily rate 4 out of 5

OUR RATING: 4 of 5

FIGURE R


Microsoft Pocket Streets, the Windows Mobile version of Streets & Trips. Roll over picture for a larger image.

It offers the same Road display and POIs as the PC version, and connects to any available GPS device, just like the PC version.

I'm not certain why, but for some reason it would not maintain the view options I set for the map; such as using a light background and displaying the roads when zoomed out. I would have preferred the map be panned by tapping and dragging, but it's not set up that way. Tapping and dragging creates a selection box that then zooms in. On-screen arrows are provided for panning the map. The other shortcoming I found was with its routing options. It doesn't have any.

Pocket Streets will find an address or a location and display it on the map, but it will not compute a route to that location; and isn't that really the whole point?

Otherwise, I was relatively pleased with how Pocket Streets looked and performed. If I had my druthers, I'd rate it at 2.5 because it won't plot a route. But since we only deal in whole numbers here at ZATZ, and it doesn't rate the full three, I'm going to have to go with 2 out of 5.

OUR RATING: 2 of 5