Delorme Street Atlas or MS Streets and Trips?

[+Mosaic55]

Which one is better for driving directions to area of the cache? I'd like to be able to load a gpx file and then have the program provide directions to nearest cache. If it could plot a loop visiting several caches that would nice to have.

 

I have a new netbook and I'd like to get some mapping/navigation software for it. I have S&T 2007 and the USB gpsr that came with it, but this old version is rather weak at providing directions.

 

I'm leaning toward Street Atlas just because of Microsoft's activation requirements (can't install the same copy on both desktop and laptop) but if there was some compelling reason to use Streets and Trips I'd like to hear about it.

 

And, another question, is there any advantage to the "plus" version if I do get Street Atlas?

Edited January 24, 2010 by Mosaic55

[+Mosaic55]

No one has comments on either package?

[+TotemLake]

No one has comments on the comparison you asked for.

[keddy4u]

I've used both MS and Delorme mapping software. They are both very good. MS was easier to use and learn but i have a preference for the Delorme. They have been doing this for a very long time and have more features and choices that you may grow into. Takes some time to learn it .. but worth it.

 

If you want a companion for your hand held, look into Delorme's TOPO version. You can do all the routing and searching and it is excellent for uploading and downloading to the handheld (at least for my Delorme PN20) I bought TOPO and PN20 as a package deal. No regrets

[+embra]

One other advantage of TopoUSA is that it would have better support for geocaches (i.e., you could read the waypoint comment to get all the description, etc.) Of course, Topo8 (or Topo9 expected in late spring) would cost a bit more.

 

It's been 10 years since I used Street Atlas, and 5 years since I used S&T. I would sometimes fire up S&T rather than Topo because it loaded faster, so if I wanted to take a quick look at something it would give me what I wanted more quickly. Topo *did* a lot more, though.

 

It would seem that the phone numbers and addresses that SA+ provides would be more useful for business purposes...I don't think it would add anything to a geocaching experience (but I may not know enough about the product...I'm only reading the product page.

[kidcabe]

Which one is better for driving directions to area of the cache? I'd like to be able to load a gpx file and then have the program provide directions to nearest cache. If it could plot a loop visiting several caches that would nice to have.

 

I have a new netbook and I'd like to get some mapping/navigation software for it. I have S&T 2007 and the USB gpsr that came with it, but this old version is rather weak at providing directions.

 

I'm leaning toward Street Atlas just because of Microsoft's activation requirements (can't install the same copy on both desktop and laptop) but if there was some compelling reason to use Streets and Trips I'd like to hear about it.

 

And, another question, is there any advantage to the "plus" version if I do get Street Atlas?

 

An excellent forum to better understand all the pluses and minuses can be found here. Hope this helps.

 

http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/

 

-- Caleb from DeLorme

[+Mosaic55]

One other advantage of TopoUSA is that it would have better support for geocaches (i.e., you could read the waypoint comment to get all the description, etc.) Of course, Topo8 (or Topo9 expected in late spring) would cost a bit more.

 

Thank you embra and keddy4u for suggesting Topo! I've just been reading about it and it sounds like a great alternative.

 

Amazon sells separate east and west region Topo 8 packages for what looks like a good price. Since East would cover everyplace I usually go, it's actually less than I was going to spend on one of the other products.

 

And I'll check out that forum too, Caleb!

[39_Steps]

 

Amazon sells separate east and west region Topo 8 packages for what looks like a good price. Since East would cover everyplace I usually go, it's actually less than I was going to spend on one of the other products.

 

And I'll check out that forum too, Caleb!

The East and West Delorme Topo8 versions do not contain support for Delorme portable navigation devices. It is necessary to buy the full version of Topo8 for PN-xx support. If you are going to buy the full version, you may wish to consider a PN-xx device bundle, which will contain the necessary Topo8 version software, plus additional bonus software at little extra cost.

 

And then there are rumors that Delorme Topo9 will be out in the spring . . .

[+user13371]

Topo 9 is not a rumor; it is openly discussed by DeLorme on their own web pages. The only "rumor" (uncertainty) is if they'll meet their projected ship date.

[+TotemLake]

I think that's what he said.

[+GeoRVers]

I have used the Delorme Street Atlas, MS Streets and Trips, and CoPilot Live. Still have all three on the laptop and use them in the motor home.

 

Each has its good points... and bad.

 

CoPilot Live was not in you question, but it is great for large rigs as it routes according to weight limits on bridges, height restrictions, etc...

 

Delorme Street Atlas has what I think are better driving directions. I like the fact that it shows the next two turns. Better direction graphics. Also, like the night screen better.

 

MS Streets and Trips shines on trip planning. I find that it is much easier to map out routes, find POI, and work with the on screen map. It has improved it the past few years on routing and is only slightly behind Delorme's routing.

[Ken in Regina]

To answer the one question that hasn't been answered yet, Streets&Trips does allow two activations for your laptop and your desktop. At least that's true of 2010 version.

 

...ken...

[+Mosaic55]

To answer the one question that hasn't been answered yet, Streets&Trips does allow two activations for your laptop and your desktop. At least that's true of 2010 version.

 

...ken...

 

Good to know!

 

MS has a free 60 day trial of Streets and Trips that can be downloaded from their web site, so I'm checking it out now.

[+The Yinnies]

To answer the one question that hasn't been answered yet, Streets&Trips does allow two activations for your laptop and your desktop. At least that's true of 2010 version.

 

...ken...

Is the Delorme Street Atlas better than City Nav on a computer? Is there anyway to use this on a -40?

[Ken in Regina]

Is the Delorme Street Atlas better than City Nav on a computer? Is there anyway to use this on a -40?

That's a question that's impossible to answer without knowing what you want to use them for and what kinds of things matter to you.

 

Functionally there are many many similarities between the two. They look a lot different and the user interface is different but when it comes to the basics of trip planning or realtime navigation they both pretty much do it all.

 

If you're in Canada, the road map in Streets&Trips is more up to date than Street Atlas. Feedback from Americans is that in the continental USA they are each about the same quality ... not much to choose.

 

As mentioned above, you can read detailed reviews and get lots of feedback of both over at %5bcolor=#000099%5dwww.laptopgpsworld.com%5b/color%5d[/u]"]www.laptopgpsworld.com.

 

...ken...

Edited January 31, 2010 by Ken in Regina

[+DocDiTTo]

I use Delorme for planning caching trips. I tried S&T before but never liked it. One downside is that it didn't understand coordinates in minutes decimal format -- which is what geocachers use most. Whether that's been fixed in newer S&T versions I don't know.

 

I actually use Delorme Street Atlas 2010 Plus -- the plus version allows me to load cache data in as separate databases which can be toggled on and off in the display. So I input caches based on size as well as type. If I want to get rid of the bazillions of micros cluttering my map, I just uncheck a box. Same if I don't want to see puzzles or multis. The regular version of Delorme Street Atlas doesn't have the database feature (called "Xdata" in Delorme terms)

 

The plus feature also has a phone number database which I've found extremely useful on perhaps 2 occasions -- it's great if you want to find out who lives on a particular street and perhaps call them. Not something I need to do every day.

 

Anyway, I've tried both and decided on Delorme. I also use Mapsource, USA Photomaps, and Google earth for planning cache runs but my route planning I always do in Street Atlas USA.

[+Mosaic55]

One thing I haven't seen in the Topo 8 description is whether or not it includes the Palm PDA (OS 5) support as Street Atlas does. Does anyone know?

[+TotemLake]

Options indicated Palm OS / Pocket PC. It doesn't indicate version. A quick look at help comes up with the following:

 

"You can export maps to use on a DeLorme Earthmate® PN-Series device or a compatible Palm® OS or Pocket PC PDA. You must have Street Atlas USA® Handheld installed to view exported maps on a PDA."

Edited February 3, 2010 by TotemLake