As a loyal user of Streets and Trips for several years, I have purchased every version (often by pre-order) since 2001. In short, S&T has several advantages over online alternatives (and a few limitations) that generally make it a worthwhile investment for both business and leisure travelers.
If you already have a previous version of S&T, purchasing this version would primarily be for updated map data and point-of-interest information. The cosmetics are slightly different than S&T 2008, but there are only a few minor feature enhancements. If you are using Google Maps or Mapquest, Streets and Trips offers four distinct advantages over these free alternatives 1) speed 2) control 3) no advertisements 4) offline access (i.e. no Internet required). Personally, I became a big fan of S&T when I began to travel more frequently prior to having 3G mobile broadband access on my notebook. The ability to quickly get directions while on a business trip is very, very helpful.
.............. Why Pay For Streets and Trips 2009 When Free Online services Exist?...........
1. The speed of S&T is far superior than Internet-based alternatives. This speed advantage is especially apparent when you pan across sections of a map. In S&T, the response is instantaneous. Also, showing the point-of-interest locations (subway stops, restaurants, hotels, etc) is lightening fast. Place the mouse on a particular address or intersecting and select "Find Nearby Places". Almost instantaneously, locations in pre-selected categories appear within a defined radius.
2. The ability to tightly control, save and print maps is big plus for power users. Planning a trip to a new city? You can save as map with directions and locations as a file. Just double click on the file when you are ready to use - just like any office document. For those who make road trips, S&T provides the option to apply different speeds to different types of roads (highways, arterial roads, local roads). Unfortunately, Microsoft stopped allowing input of specific speeds a few revisions ago and now merely has slider bars that range from slowest to fastest. Also as part of this function, Microsoft allows for input of highway/city vehicle MPG and fuel cost per gallon to calculate the cost of a trip.
3. Advertisements are irritating. Time is money. The ability to view and print maps without advertisements is a big plus in my opinion. Why waste your color ink to print a banner ad? S&T allows to see and print exactly what you want.
4. Don't have mobile broadband on your notebook? Want to check destination maps while in the air? Locally stored data is the only solution. Given that the map data is located locally on the user's hard drive, there is no need to get connected to the Internet. Of course, a hybrid environment that uses both locally stored data and online information is the best of both worlds. S&T is almost there (below).
..............What Has Changed Since Streets and Trips 2008? ..............
In terms of what has changed since S&T 2008, the answer is not much. If accuracy is important to you, it always makes sense to get the latest map data that represents both new data and corrections of old data. Point-of-interest data changes much more frequently than street data, so if you a big fan of restaurants this is a valid reason to get the latest version. However, it is important to understand there still appears to be a significant delay, sometimes over 1-2 years before a new restaurant will be added to the point-of-interest data. The inability to update this information in real-time is my biggest complaint about Streets and Trips. While Microsoft is slowly enhancing the live data capabilities, there is still a long way to go. I would guess the real issue is not technical, but financial. Map and point-of interest data is a multi-billion dollar industry. It would probably require a subscription on top of the purchase price to provide higher quality point-of-interest data.
The 2009 version appears faster in use but slower to load. This implies that more data is being loaded into memory upon launch. This might have something to do with a new process that is continuously running, streetsolkshim.exe for which I have not been able to find any information. Zooming appears faster than the already extremely fast 2008 version. However, I have no way of confirming this scientifically.
There are some different cosmetics than previous versions. Most notably are the icons on top menu bar are more descriptive and can be toggled between small and large. They have graphics like a steering wheel button representing the directions function. My guess is the icon scheme is probably designed for traveling retirees with diminished eyesight.
A minor enhancement is the ability to send an address to a mobile phone from within Streets and Trips. Somewhat oddly, the function does not allow directions to be sent. This may have something to do with SMS message length limitations.
One interesting new function that improves Streets and Trips interactivity with the outside world is the Coupon Function. This connects to Entertainment.com database of coupons. Entertainment Publications, the operator of the Entertainment.com web site, predates the web. Basically, it is a company that sells coupon books for $35 with deep discounts for restaurants and attractions. In Streets and Trips 2009, a trial to the service is suppose to be free for two weeks. Afterwards, you need to purchase a subscription. Unfortunately, I have not be able to get the service to work after six (6) calls to Microsoft's horrible Indian-based tech support. The support team members had a poor command of the English language and had zero familiarity with the 2009 version of S&T. The problem has still not been resolved.
Pros
*Fast
*No advertisements
*Ability to save maps and directions as files for future use
*Locally stored map data
*Some external data connectivity (i.e. coupons, construction, live search)
Cons
*Still no core data updating via the Internet
*Lacks very recent point-of-interest data
*Ridiculously bad tech support
....................Other Notes......................
As much as people tend to dislike Microsoft and complain about software bugs in general, problems with map accuracy are not Microsoft's fault. They don't create the data. Map data creation is a billion dollar industry run by Navteq (now owned by Nokia) and Tele-Atlas. Microsoft Streets & Trips 2009 [OLD VERSION] - Maps - Cartography - Driving Directions - Mapping Software'
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