The program installed fine, but in order to use it, you have to 'activate' it online (as you do with, for example, Microsoft Office and Windows). This is the first time activation has been required for Streets & Trips.
The activation process refused to function on my laptop. And despite the program's assurance that "you can use it for up to 60 days without activation," the program in fact would not run at all without activation.
I placed two calls to Microsoft Support about the issue. The first technician worked with me to reboot, uninstall, reinstall, etc., with no luck. The second technician acknowledged that there is a known issue with activation on some PC's. He suggested I could either wait for a patch (but he could not predict when one would be forthcoming), or I could get a refund.
It's a shame, because I've liked previous versions of S&T and was really looking forward to trying out the GPS features. I haven't decided whether to request a refund yet. If I keep the program and a patch is released, I will update this review accordingly. Microsoft Streets and Trips 2008 with GPS [OLD VERSION]
I just returned from a 6000 mile trip using the S/T 2008. I too had a little trouble with the activation as I was not near WiFi most of the time but once I got a good connections it worked.
In general it worked well. I did laugh when a huge lake in BC did not show up on one side of the road I was traveling beside. It is hard to read a lot of the small type in the car. Looking for the different colors of the minuscule blocks to see which was a restaurant and which was a bank was a problem. GPS reception can be spotty even when it appears it should be ok. On one or two occasions it did confuse left and right but the map was there to confirm.
All in all though it bailed me several times when I had know idea where I was in rural BC. It also got me through Vancouver and Seattle with no hassles. I also love being able to save my trip plans and reuse them again.
It is pretty amazing that you can turn your PC into a competent GPS. You can also cut and paste addresses into it.
It does not work as well as the Garmin dashboard units. If I want to find the nearest Peet's Coffee; S&T can't do it. It can show me dozens of "restaurants - other" in my area (oddly excluding what I'm looking for). If I search for Peet's it finds only 6 of the many dozens of Peets stores.
It has a category for grocery stores and for shopping centers, but not for hardware or office supply stores.
I had S&T 2006 and the GPS broke. I bought the 2008 thinking they'd have improved it. I can't see any improvement; it looks exactly the same and has the same odd little deficiencies.
My father-in-law has a great little Garmin unit. I was a fool and tried to save money getting S&T.
For anyone that does not have S&T with GPS it is a GREAT program. I travel to multiple clients each day and the program does a great job of mapping out the trip for me. Dropping all the client addresses into the program couldn't be easier.
I have used S&T 2006 for over a year and thought it was time to pick up the latest version. For those of you thinking of upgrading to 2008, I have found that there is not much to see here. Other than a new perspective map view, and the auto-calculate new route, the program operates and functions the same as 2006. Maybe it has more "points of interest" than 2006, but I really don't care; I'm on the road to see clients, not to find a coffee shop. If you are using 2006, or 2007, stay with what you have.
The only problem I have is that no where in the instructions does it tell you how to connect the GPS to your laptop computer. The "memory stick" as I thought it was (looked like one anyway) didn't fit into anything but the computer. I read where it said you could "go Wirless" and thought that the "memory stick" was how it was done. By accedent I learned that on the OTHER end there was ALSO a cap that covered the part that connected to the GPS. I almost broke open the plastic to get to the GPS to connect it to my computer. I called Microsoft Help on the phone. They said that I ws not the first with this problem. at least 14 other folks called with the same issue. I hope this helps other in the future. JW in Ohio
I bought this program to get the latest maps and updated places like hotels. It is my 4th upgrade over the years, starting back in 2003.
As far as I can tell, this version has NO IMPROVEMENTS AT ALL over my 2006 version, is more difficult to install and it tried to attach a Microsoft "live search" toolbar and default home page to my system. I live in western Pennsylvania and the new Mon-Valley expressway (PA-576) and several other new tollroads open since July of 2006 do not show up on the map! What is the purpose of buying the new version if there are no real improvements? On the plus side, the new GPS unit design may be a little easier to deal with, but if you already have T&S with GPS, don't waste your money on this version.
I have considered Streets and Trips a fine program, and purchased successive annual versions. This years version however, is very disappointing in that it appears not to have improvements that would justify a full purchase price. If very minor upgrade changes are all that are to be expected in the future, an annual downloadable upgrade should be offerred at a reduced price. My 2 1/2 years old home is on local maps but still not identifiable in the latest version (2008). All I've really noticed are minor "splash" screen changes.
Roger E. Reese
I am a directionaly challenged Realtor, so I thought this product might help. Pros: its cheap and works relatively well once you have played around with it. GPS receiver does have some lag-time to the screen so you need to know a little about where you are going before missing turns.
I bought an inverter for extra juice to extend the battery life of the laptop and have a well lit screen. A CD player/cassette converter can put the laptop sound into your car stereo for extra loud voice directions over loud, obnoxious clients. Cons: not intuitive, a regular GPS is so much simpler. - Cartography - Software - Maps - Streets And Trips'
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