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Street Atlas USA 9.0

Street Atlas USA 9.0

List Price: $49.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great Product Wrong Seller
Review: ...This product works excellent, especially when integrated with DeLorme's 8 channel GPS Receiver

I have used their product for years staring with version 5.0 through version 9.0 and in terms of usability and accuracey you won't find a better piece of equipment for your money. This product will operate through most Palm/Handheld devices or for the over the road traveler like myself integrating both the hardware and software is easy and effective with the use of my laptop. I have used a variety of other brands like TravRoute in addition to the weak handheld GPS units like Garmon, Magellan and nothing in my "opinion" gives you more bang for the buck than DeLorme.

Word to the wise don't be too quick to get their latest version; Street Atals 2003. It's very new and very different and resembles their X-Map Business software which I found to be much more cumbersome and less functional in many ways.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Yipes! I Snipe About This Tripe! I REALLY Wanted to Like It.
Review: I had a problem with Microsoft Streets & Trips and when I reported the missing address - not just the library at the address, but the entire section of a major street in a county seat - and I got a "Mailbox Full" error from Microsoft, I figured what the heck, go with the map specialists, and they have a 30 day money back guarantee. Hey, how bad can it be. How can they go wrong. Boy, was I wrong!

Step 1 - In the installation, they don't ask you if you want to install the data in addition to the program. With modern mega-gigabyte drives, that is a no-brainer.

Step 2 - I track down how to load the data disk, following the steps to the letter.

Step 3 - I start the program and I am told that the data disk is missing. Duh, guys, you just told me how to load it. Esc, esc, esc... ad nauseaum.. I get to the program.

Step 4 - I will be doing a lot of local travel researching a book so I'm not worried about hotels, restaurants, ATMs, etc. so I want to know how to find libraries. Oh... that's not in our standard list of interesting places. I'll admit that they do have beautiful maps and it was pretty cool to just choose Public Libraries when I did find the search feature.

Step 4 - My God, what kind of interface is this?? I thought the tabs at the bottom would be cool, but as much I as I used to hate Windows, sometimes I flipped through all the tabs and did not have a clue, not a clue where to find things beyond the first level of menu.

As someone mentioned earlier about not being a computer dummy, I have been a PC software analyst since the late 70s covering packages in CP/M, DOS, W3.1, Win98 and Win2k. I have frequently had to pick up packages with no manual and no instruction. This is one of the clumsiest interfaces I have ever seen.

Within 30 minutes of installing this package, I was packing it up for return. I don't mind paying the shipping and handling and tracking fees just to get this piece of tripe off my computer.

I hate to be mean to these guys so I won't call them and say "WHAT were you thinking??"

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very good mapping software
Review: I have both Delorme Streets and Microsoft Streets and Trips. I usually use the Delorme product, because it is faster and produces a better map. Both products suffer from having small inaccuracies at the very local level. Whether you encounter one where you are looking is kind of the luck of the draw. Despite small inaccuracies, the resulting maps using Delorme Streets are usually more than good enough to enable you to find your way.

The Delorme Streets gives VERY accurate mileage assessments from one place to another, which alone makes it worthwhile. I use it anytime I am planning a trip and have always found it very useful.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: DON' T BUY IT
Review: I have Windows 95 and it doesn't work well with that version, even though they say it does. It was difficult and time consuming to install due to numerous error messages. It uses a lot of memory. When I did use it, it was very complex and slow because of the constant searching for information. I am returning this and will purchase a different software product.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good... but out of date?
Review: I received StreetAtlas USA and a handheld GPS receiver (Garmin eTrex) on the same day. It was a great out-of-the-box experience with both the software and the receiver. However, when I started planning known routes with StreetAtlas, I noticed that it was missing a major bypass just off of I-40 (the bypass is relatively new, but still over 2 years old, so I expected it to be on the map). I then started clicking on some of the restaurants in my area, and noticed that it was displaying establishments that had been closed for a year or more, while missing a Chik-Fil-A that is several years old. Having said that, it performed flawlessly on several other more established (read "older") routes I asked it to map, and I find the restaurant and gas locator to be a very cool feature.

Bottom line - this is very good software that uses map data that appears to be several years old. My advice is to use it with caution (and a grain of salt), particularly if you're using it to navigate in unknown territory (of course, there's not much need to use it in familiar territory). Maybe it deserves an extra star, but I like having confidence in the maps I use when travelling, and I just can't say that I feel confident with these maps. Still, I think I'll find it useful.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better than in car GPS systems.
Review: I use this product all the time. I have used a variety of GPS systems in different cars. This system, is by far, much better than all the rest. It even tells you radio stations in your area.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better than in car GPS systems.
Review: I use this product all the time. I have used a variety of GPS systems in different cars. This system, is by far, much better than all the rest. It even tells you radio stations in your area.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Incredibly useful
Review: I use this software often and like it. This new version tells you whether to turn left or right in addition to telling you which direction (N, S, E, W) you should be going. Unlike one reviewer, I found this software easy to install and had no problems. When the software calculates a route, the time is usually within five minutes of the actual driving time (you can customize the speed you usually use on a type of road).

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another update to a great product
Review: I've been a big Delorme Map'N'Go and Street Atlas fan for a long
time. I hadn't update my Street Atlas since version 6.0 so it
was time. I have used this on both a Win98 SE and a Win2K box
with no problems. Installation and execution are very straightforward. I use it on somewhat older PC's (300 and 400 mhz) w/o problems.

The newest SA 9 has more features (travel planner) and newer maps which I like. Its still more or less the same product as
before with more features. I find this product great to use both at home (what if'ing) and for travel with a laptop.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good but not Great - yet
Review: I've used Street Atlas for many years. The latest release isn't a significant upgrade from the previous version of Street Atlas. There are updates to changes made in roads and points of interest, but not much beyond that.

I think the routing engine could use some work. I'd like to see a routing choice of "least turns" added so that it makes an efficient route with the least number of turns/roads. I actually own the latest Delorme Map n Go product and it does a much better job at routing between two points. The combination of the two products works well since maps are interchangeable between the products.

The software works great with the Delorme Earthmate GPS and I imagine with most/all NMEA receivers. While driving I usually throw the Overview Map up in the corner and it would be nice to have a direction/speed window you could put up too (vs the very tiny text showing current speed and distance to next turn). The GPS Status window has the info (plus much more) but it's bigger and takes up more screen real estate then a direction/speed specific window would. Also, though you can set it for voice prompts as you approach turns, most laptops aren't loud enough to be heard over normal driving noises.

I haven't looked at competing products since I first purchased Street Atlas so I can't compare the functionality and accuracy against products such as the Microsoft Streets. Even with all the minor annoyances, it's probably my most used product outside of normal office productivity apps and I would recommend it for folks looking for street level map data with routing and GPS capabilities.


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