Microsoft "Streets &
Trips 2003"
A Review
by Jack Hancock
Microsoft Streets
& Trips 2003 is an easy to use mapping system that will help
plan your business day or your annual vacation. Around town, or coast to
coast, Streets & Trips 2003 gives easy, accurate access to restaurants, gas
stations, ATM’s, and more.
Microsoft Streets
& Trips 2003 is designed for Microsoft Windows XP, 2000, ME, 98, and
Windows NT.
The software is
easy loading via a CD-ROM. A beginner could follow the excellent
instructions. I loaded the software onto
my four-day old PC, which is the first computer that I have ever owned and was
up and on the streets in the first few minutes. I started
out casually, traveling my own neighborhood, looking for service stations
and restaurants that I already knew existed while checking for accuracy.
Then it was a
quick trip across the United States to relatives in
Michigan, and West to the State of
Washington and the San Juan Islands. I zeroed in on a
little village by asking the software to enlarge the map by drawing a box
around the area that I wanted to magnify. This easy to use map
identifies restaurants in your area by ethnic cuisine and travel sites to
see, such as area museums or in
Fresno, California, The Racing Pigeon
Club - which the map legend in parenthesis identifies as a bar.
City after city, schools, motels, hospitals, airports, sites too numerous to
mention are identified by selecting an address,
name of the town , state and selecting FIND. A map of North America can be used to
select a state, town or hamlet. Simply select a drawing tool to
create a box around the area you wish to view. A prompt will ask you if
you wish to magnify the area.
When mapping out
a trip across town, or to another state in the union, begin by identifying the
area that you wish to travel to. A map of north America is your starting point
and you draw a square around the area you wish to travel to. A
prompt will advise you to click inside the square to zoom in,
creating a large map of the
area. If you find this isn't sufficiently enlarged, continue to draw
squares and zoom into the area of your choice. You can also type the
address, or street intersections where you want
to travel to. Smart
Find identifies your request and suggests spellings and matches. The
icon of an automobile is the route planner to identify a scenic route or
easiest path to your destination. Clicking on the auto icon enlarges the
map to full screen. Type in the address or identifying
information where you wish to go. Click FIND in the box next to
your identifying information. Typing
a second address, or travel marker, i.e.: converging intersections
or latitude & longitude and pressing FIND, will create a second
location map. Click ADD TO
ROUTE and then click GET DIRECTIONS for route planning.
If the mapping
guide chooses the interstate highway and you want the scenic byway, it's an
easy step to route around it and make up your own mapping rules of the
road. Just type in an additional address or intersection defining the
path you would prefer to take.
When you're in
your car, you'll wish you had this handy mapping guide with you and now you
can. Pocket Street allows you to download maps to your pocket PC [or
laptop] and view them when you need them, or you can plug a Global Positioning System
(GPS) into Streets and Trips 2003 to track your precise location.
Microsoft Streets & Trips 2003
Microsoft Corporation
$44.95 CD-ROM