GPS HARDWARE INCLUDED WITH NEW MAP SOFTWARE
For years now, I have never become lost when driving. This is in
no way due to an increasing sense of direction as I become older.
Nor is this due to the fact that my girlfriend more frequently comes
along for the ride and she always knows where we are going. The fact
is that I never get lost because my car has a built-in GPS
navigation system. GPS is the Global Positioning System that is
comprised of 27 Earth-orbiting satellites (24 in operation and three
extras in case one fails.) The GPS receiver in my car can
triangulate my exact location anytime I wish. But adding a GPS
system to a car can be costly. Plus a built-in model requires some
installation knowledge. A good-quality hand held unit can also go
for a few hundred dollars. But now you can add a GPS system to your
notebook computer using its USB port and adding some software.
Microsoft has just introduced its Streets & Trips 2005. Included
in the box along with the mapping and trip planning software is
their GPS Locator. About two inches square, the tiny device simply
plugs into any available USB port and you're ready to go anywhere.
Just pop in the included CD and you have access to most of the
major streets in the continental United States. It covers 5.4
million miles of local city and highway roads and 1.8 million points
of interests that includes things like restaurants, hotel, gas
stations, hospitals and more. Added into the new 2005 version is the
GPS Pane. This window enables you to see the direction in which you
are heading via a big, red on-screen compass pointer. The window
also displays your current position, how fast you are traveling in
miles per hours, your altitude, latitude and longitude coordinates
and the exact time of day. So basically, you always know your exact
position at the current moment in time. Another nice feature is a
"heads up" display that keeps your current position at the center of
the map and is always pointing up. As you move, the map rotates in
real time so that it follows your movement and direction at all
times. This heads-up display is one of the nicest features because
it always moves in your corresponding direction rather than just
always pointing North. In the latter case, you have to keep track of
where you are moving and can be a little disorienting.
Other new features to be found in the 2005 version is a GPS Trail
that graphically tracks where you have been on the map so that you
always know where you are at any given moment. And a new Re-route
feature will automatically recalculate your driving directions from
your current location to any other destination. This is especially
handy when you come across unexpected road construction for example.
When you can't drive in the direction indicated by the software,
automatic re-routing can come in very handy. Another example of how
handy this can be is when you miss an exit or make a wrong turn.
Streets & Trips will automatically recalculate where you are and
continue to give you accurate driving directions to your
destination. This can be a real life saver.
I have to say that while Streets & Trips 2005 is an ideal
solution for your portable computer, it still is no match for a
dedicated built-in system you find in luxury automobiles. Systems
like that have far more extensive and detailed information on the
higher capacity DVD drives. Plus they tie directly into the car's
speedometer and electrical system. Many like the one I have also
displays the information right on the dashboard display in addition
to a built-in screen. Plus most of them offer voice recognition and
driving directions that are spoken aloud. But these systems also go
for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars more. So if you're looking
for something that's fairly inexpensive and you plan to take your
laptop along with you on your trip anyway, then Streets & Trips 2005
just might be the ticket for you.
Streets & Trips 2005 comes with the GPS hardware and CD in the
box and sells for $129. The products requires a Windows-based
computer.
www.microsoft.com/streets |
