MapForums

I was in the Microsoft Company store getting some XBOX stuff for holiday gifts yesterday and saw a bunch of people in line ahead of me with Streets and Trips (known as Autoroute in Europe), presumably for the same reason Streets and Trips is the top selling mapping and trip planning software and indeed makes a great gift as it comes in three flavors and prices. The software only version retails for under 40 bucks at places line Amazon, Buy, Circuit City, or Best Buy. The packages with GPS and Connected Services are even better values, typically retailing for 75 and 120 dollars respectively.

The GPS device is super small, but very sensitive as it's based on the SIRF III technology from SiRF. It outputs standard NMEA so it works with any other GPS software you might have and is easy to hack against to build your own apps.

The Streets and Trips Connected Services package contains the same great GPS device but also includes a MSN Direct (Spot) receiver allowing it to have traffic updates and gas price information sent over FM. very slick as it doesn't require a network connection. A number of Navigation systems are beginning to include support for MSN Direct such as the Garmin Nuvi and Garmin Street Pilot.

The Nuvi 680

Streets and Trips 'Night View'

Streets and Trips GPS device

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