Is there a better mapping product out there? I just really tired of using Microsoft products that cost a fortune and half the documentation is misleading, incomplete, or downright incorrect.

From my experience, MapPoint is just about unique at its price point and functionality and provides a good value. Products like BusinessMap and XMap GIS cost more and lack a lot that MapPoint has... higher up like MapInfo pro and Arc* products from ESRI actually lack even more (although much more capable in other ways).

IMHO, MapPoint's biggest and most direct competition is from their own product Streets & Trips, it's a fraction of the cost, has almost the same data (except demographics), and can still be automated through tools like WinBatch or even simple SendKeys functions.

Eric

Eric is pretty much right.

This isn't much you can't do with MapPoint and at a fraction of the cost of the other desktop mapping software (MapInfo, ArcView). We share your frustration with Mickeysoft and their often amusing approach to software/coding/documentation. However, IMHO as well, this isn't much you can't do in the realm of desktop mapping with MapPoint.

What was it you were trying to do?

One product worth trying may be Manifold. The web page is www.manifold.net

I just checked out Manifold's web site out of curiousity. Pricing looked good until I saw the prices on their 48-hour support! If this was quicker support, then maybe the pricing could be justified. But IMHO, it's wayyy too much.

Standard Tech Support Incident One incident: 48 hour response email technical support for Manifold System Release 6.00 Professional Edition interactive features. Excludes requests for technical support on development features such as scripting, programming, web serving and SQL. $49 per incident

Standard Technical Support contract Ten incidents: 48 hour response email technical support contract for Manifold System Release 6.00 Professional Edition interactive features. Excludes requests for technical support on development features such as scripting, programming, web serving and SQL. $195 per ten incidents

Developer Tech Support Incident One incident: 48 hour response email technical support for developers. Includes support for all Manifold System Release 6.00 Professional Edition features. $99 per incident
Developer Technical Support contract Ten incidents: 48 hour response email technical support contract for developers. Includes support for all Manifold System Release 6.00 Professional Edition features. $495 per ten incidents

Standard Technical Support by telephone. 24 hour call-back guarantee from 9 to 5 Pacific Time, Monday through Friday excluding Manifold holidays. For Release 6.00 Professional Edition interactive features. Excludes requests for technical support on development features such as scripting, programming, web serving and SQL. US CONUS telephone numbers only. Half-hour maximum talk time per incident. $295 per incident