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Microsoft Strrets And Trips 2005 With Gpsr $100


sbur6

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I thought this was interesting. Could be fun to paly with. Anyone out there got it yet? I wonder if the GPSR that comes with it will work with MS Mappoint?

 

New Microsoft Streets & Trips 2005 With GPS Locator Puts End to "Are We There Yet?"

 

Company's First GPS Device Is Offered With Latest Version Of Best-Selling Mapping and Trip-Planning Software

 

REDMOND, Wash. -- Aug. 24, 2004 -- Microsoft Corp. today announced the availability of Microsoft® Streets & Trips 2005 with GPS Locator, a landmark product that combines the company's first Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware device with the latest version of the best-selling1 mapping and travel planning software for the United States and Canada. Streets & Trips 2005 with GPS Locator provides real-time GPS tracking and a comprehensive array of maps, driving directions and points of interest to help travelers know exactly where they are and where they are headed at all times.

 

"GPS navigation technology has been around for years, but until now it has been a luxury item, too expensive and complicated for most consumers to take advantage of," said Thilo Koslowski, vice president and lead automotive analyst with Gartner Inc. "Companies that offer easy-to-use mobile navigation products will gain market share in the near future as consumers are looking for more affordable alternatives to embedded GPS navigation systems in the vehicle."

 

Not only is Streets & Trips 2005 with GPS Locator affordable and easy to use, but it also includes important fuel management and cost analysis features -- a valuable addition with the rising cost of gas. According to research from the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M University, Americans used 5.7 billion gallons of fuel and 3.5 billion hours sitting in traffic last year at a total cost of nearly $70 billion, or about $520 per driver in the 75 major cities surveyed.2 Enhanced GPS support, accurate and up-to-date mapping data, options for customization, and Pocket Streets for Pocket PC and Smartphone work seamlessly to reduce travel-related stress and save valuable time and money by allowing consumers to plan their trip, their way.

 

The new GPS Locator makes it easier than ever to turn a laptop, Microsoft Windows Mobile -based Pocket PC or Smartphone into an all-inclusive GPS tracking device.3 Consumers simply plug the included GPS device into their laptop's USB port, install Streets & Trips 2005 with GPS Locator, and they're ready to hit the road. Microsoft worked with Pharos Science & Applications Inc. to create a fully integrated solution that works seamlessly with Streets & Trips 2005, incorporating SiRF Technology Holdings Inc.'s GPS technology into the Microsoft-branded hardware device.

 

Streets & Trips 2005 with GPS Locator includes the following new and updated features:

 

    * New! Plug and play GPS receiver makes it easy to hit the road with GPS. Motorists can add real-time GPS to their Windows Mobile-based Pocket PC or Smartphone with an expansion sled (sold separately).

    * New! Enhanced GPS support includes three new features exclusive to Streets & Trips 2005: an intuitive GPS Pane, a GPS Trail and Re-route from Here.

    * New! The GPS Pane houses all GPS features in one convenient task pane. Motorists can easily gauge their direction via an on-screen compass; they can see their current position, speed, altitude, latitude and longitude coordinates, and the time of day. They can even choose to keep their current position centered in the map view and rotate the map in real time.

    * The GPS Pane includes the New! GPS Trail, which graphically tracks where the user has been on the map, like a modern-day trail of bread crumbs.

    * The New! Re-route from Here feature automatically recalculates driving directions from motorists' current location to any other destination they may choose.

    * New! Pocket Streets for Pocket PC and Smartphone. Pocket Streets for Windows Mobile-based Pocket PCs and Smartphones is included in Streets & Trips 2005 at no extra charge.

    * Updated!Accurate mapping data for the United States and Canada. Leading providers of geographical information such as NAVTEQ, Geographic Data Technology Inc. (GDT) and Woodall Publications Corp. have provided comprehensive and current mapping data for Streets & Trips 2005.

    * Streets & Trips 2005 includes more than 5.4 million miles of local, city and highway roads and more than 1.8 million points of interest.

 

Availability

 

Microsoft Streets & Trips 2005 with GPS Locator is available for an estimated retail price of $129 (U.S.). Microsoft Streets & Trips 2005 (standard) is also available for an estimated retail price of $39.95 (U.S.) before a $10 (U.S.) mail-in rebate to qualified customers.4

 

About Microsoft Home Retail Division

 

Microsoft Home Retail Division (HRD) is a leading publisher of home software for the PC. Celebrating Microsoft's 20 years of delivering products that help consumers accomplish and enjoy everyday tasks, HRD brings consumers Microsoft Encarta®, the industry's best-selling encyclopedia brand;5 Microsoft Digital Image products, which combine advanced photo-editing features and unmatched organizational tools with unparalleled ease of use; Microsoft Money, easy-to-use personal finance management software; Streets & Trips, Microsoft's all-in-one mapping solution with points of interest, routes, driving directions and Pocket PC compatibility in one value-priced software package; and Microsoft Works Suite, the best-selling6 integrated home productivity software that offers six of the latest essential home software titles in one package for tremendous value. Used with the MSN® network of Internet services, these products have a unique depth and mobility that allow users to take their PC experience even further. More information about the Home Retail Division product lineup is available at http://www.microsoft.com/discover.

 

About Pharos

 

Pharos Science & Applications Inc. is a leading provider of portable GPS navigation and location-based services for a variety of markets. Pharos is a QUALCOMM Elite BREW Developer, a charter member of Microsoft's Mobility Partner Advisory Council, and member of ITS America and CTIA. The company's products are sold through a network of leading national retail locations and online stores including CompUSA, Fry's Electronics, Dell, Toshiba, Amazon, SkyMall, MobilePlanet, Buy.com, Verizon and others. For more information, visit http://www.pharosgps.com/.

 

About SiRF Technology Holdings

 

SiRF Technology Holdings Inc. develops and markets semiconductor and software products that are designed to enable location-awareness utilizing GPS and other location technologies in high-volume mobile consumer devices and commercial applications. SiRF's technology has been integrated into mobile consumer devices, such as automobile navigation systems, mobile phones, PDAs, GPS-based peripherals and handheld GPS navigation devices, and into commercial applications, such as asset tracking devices and fleet management systems. SiRF markets and sells its products in four target platforms: automotive, consumer electronics, mobile computing and wireless devices. Founded in 1995, SiRF is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., and has sales offices, design centers and research facilities around the world. The company trades on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the symbol SIRF. Additional information about SiRF and its location technology solutions can be found at http://www.sirf.com/.

 

About Microsoft

 

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

 

1 NPD Techworld®, March 1999--May 2004, based on total U.S. retail sales

 

2 Texas Transportation Institute, Urban Mobility Report (2003)

 

3 Expansion sleds (sold separately) required for Pocket PC and Smartphone functionality

 

4 Actual retail price may vary. Certain rebate offer details apply.

 

5 The NPD Group/NPD Techworld, March 1993--April 2004, based on total U.S. retail sales.

 

6 The NPD Group/NPD Techworld, October 1998--May 2004, based on total U.S. retail sales.

 

Microsoft, Windows Mobile, Encarta and MSN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

 

Certain mapping and direction data provided by Geographic Data Technology Inc. under license and copyright. © 2004 Geographic Data Technology Inc. and © 1991--2004 Government of Canada (Statistics Canada and/or Geomatics Canada), all rights reserved.

 

The GDT logo is a registered trademark of Geographic Data Technology Inc.

 

NAVTECH and NAVTECH ON BOARD are trademarks of Navigation Technologies. All rights reserved. © Copyright 2004 Navigation Technologies.

 

Woodall's and the Woodall's logo are registered trademarks of Woodall Publications Corp. Copyright © 2004 by Woodall Publications Corp. All rights reserved.

 

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

 

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp.

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I saw this in the sunday paper for $80 without rebate through the end of this week. Since S&T alone goes for $40 ($10 rebate until summer next year) this makes the puck mouse a pretty good price if you're into that sort of thing.

 

http://www.compusa.com/products/product_in...rch1&tabtype=rb

 

I've seen neither product. I was so disappointed with 2004 over 2003 that I'll await glowing reviews (or GPSBabel problem reports) before cracking open the checkbook again.

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That's exactly what it is, Johnny Vegas. The puck mouse GPS products (deluo, earthmate, this thing, garmin 18, etc.) are absolutely tethered to a real computer. There is no way to power them from battery, no LCD, and probably comparitively humble computer power in them. It's definitely NOT a handheld.

 

However, if you're a travelling businessman in a car (or a geocacher that wants to use the big screen and robust mapping available on a laptop and has a unit to take into the field with you) that's one less set of batteries, simpler cabling, one less device to fumble with settings on, and so on.

 

They have their place in the market. (But I wouldn't buy one.)

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That's exactly what it is, Johnny Vegas. The puck mouse GPS products (deluo, earthmate, this thing, garmin 18, etc.) are absolutely tethered to a real computer. There is no way to power them from battery, no LCD, and probably comparitively humble computer power in them. It's definitely NOT a handheld.

 

However, if you're a travelling businessman in a car (or a geocacher that wants to use the big screen and robust mapping available on a laptop and has a unit to take into the field with you) that's one less set of batteries, simpler cabling, one less device to fumble with settings on, and so on.

 

They have their place in the market. (But I wouldn't buy one.)

Add in, that if you have a newer laptop, these are nice since they're USB. Much easier than trying to find a USB-to-Serial adapter that'll work reliably to connect your serial GPS to your laptop. Of course, the USB-powered "no batteries needed" is nice, too.

 

I was getting frequent "blue screen of death" and/or map software crashes trying to use my eTrex with a USB-Serial adapter with my laptop which doesn't have any serial ports. Once I got the Delorme Earthmate and started using it exclusively with my laptop, those problems ceased.

 

(oh, and I like the "exclusive" features mentioned....they sound exactly like stuff also available on Delorme's Street Atlas, doesn't sound so "exclusive" to me)

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I picked up the Streets and Trips 2005/GPS bundle at CompUSA this weekend, the last day of the sale (yay). This is my first GPS unit so I do not know how well it compares with any other systems. I have used Streets and Trips 2002 and Map Point 2002 and now S&T 2005.

 

I have been wanting a GPS for a couple of years now, and once I found geocaching.com I wanted one even more. I was going to upgrade my pocket pc to a bluetooth version and wanted a bluetooth GPS but thast didn't pan out so this bundle works out fine. Plus since it is the Pharos GPS-360 model the USB cable can be unplugged and it can be placed in a CF sleeve or Bluetooth sleeve so I still got the GPS I wanted.

 

I think I am going to have to find the CF sleeve for my pocket pc though because carrying a laptop around with a cable slung over my back while traffic drives by makes me feel a little geeky self concious, but it led to my first cache so who cares! B)

 

Kittymouse

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My wife and I always have our laptop with us when we cache. We use ClayJar Watcher and Streets and Trips 2004 to find locations, find parking and do driving directions to the site. We love to use moving map to track where we are, but setting up the Garmin Legend to do this takes time and eats battery life.

 

We still have to have a handheld to get to the cache itself, and leave the laptop in the car while we hike to the cache.

 

I've just ordered this package and will report in full when we have it and have cached with it a bit.

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I bought this from Circuit City for $79. We use it all the time. It works quite well for us. This has been very handy mapping routes and getting from waypoint to waypoint.

 

I use the Garmin Legend once we get close.

 

I also use easyGPS to move waypoints to the Garmin. I have not figured out a easy way to get waypoints into Streets and Trips, so I use Find Lat/Long and cut and paste the coordinates in from geoCaching.com or easyGPS. Then rename the pushpin to name of the geocache.

 

Joe

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Another GPS-Mouse and software combination is Garmin's GPS-18 together with their nRoute software for voice-guided routing on a laptop and CitySelect maps.

 

About the same price as the DeLorme EarthMate/SA and MS S&T/GPS bundles and has the advantage for owners of most Garmin mapping handhelds that you can use the free second unlock code to use the City Select-NA maps on the handheld.

 

Since the GPS-18/CS-NA bundle is available for about the same price (sometimes even cheaper) as CS-NA by itself, this is like getting the GPS-18 mouse for free if you have something like a 60c and planned to buy CS-NA anyway.

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