twohorse

We are headed to Germany in mid March and need to know if anyone has this program for GPS travel. I am thinking about buying it but would like some feedback from others who have tried it. We are going to be traveling around Germany, Austria, and France.

Thanks.

Robespierre

I've used 2005, but I've never evaluated the voice prompt version. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

twohorse

Thanks for the help..

First of all, I have a bluetooth GPS receiver that you place in the windshield from another program (Teletype) that seems rather "standard issue" I called Teletype and asked them about the system requirements and they feel it should work.

I'm not real intrested in the voice stuff, I just wanted to know how well this program works in Europe. we'll be traveling through the black forest and hitting many little towns. does the turn by turn feature seem to work well. did the speedometer seem to be accurate.. overall opion?

Thanks,

Billy

Robespierre

AutoRoute requires a GPS receiver compliant with NMEA 2.0 (which most modern designs are). You can test your compliance by downloading the Michelin <i>Maps and Route Planning</i> demo from http://www.shop.viamichelin.co.uk/pr...emo_PPC_EN.zip


The turn-by-turn directions are accurate, although sometimes you can spot a slightly shorter route on the map at full zoom.

The speedometer is spot on - but remember that it only updates once per second, so it can get a little behind when you're accelerating or decelerating.

twk

I haven't had a chance to use Autoroute in Europe yet, but Streets and Trips works well here in the US. I've only noticed two problems: (1) even with the most up to date version, it occasionally misses recent construction (e.g., there's a segment of freeway in my town that's been complete for two years, but Streets and Trips still think's it's only access road); and (2) if you are relying on the voice prompt, you might not get enough warning to get in the proper lane of multi-lane roads before exiting.

As to the routing, if I get a chance, I like to plan my route in advance, and then go over it in detail, to make sure there are no odd sidetrips, which occasionally result from the software road preferences. However, even if you just rely on the software, it will get you there, although possibly with an avoidable detour.

Overall, I've been very pleased with Streets and Trips, and feel pretty good about what I'll get from Autoroute when I go to Scotland in June. If you use Autoroute on your trip, please bring this topic back to the top and let me know of anything that you learn from the experience.

twohorse

I will do that.. thank you both for the info. Something very confusing I've found.. I shopped the software on Ebay a couple of days ago and it is selling from anywhere between 80 to 140 dollars... but, when I go to streetsandtrips.com it is 39.95? am I missing something or are people really that stupid??

I will let you know how this went when I return at the end of march.

thanks again,
Billy

Robespierre

The low-priced boxes probably don't include the GPS attachment.

twk

I got Streets and Trips (with the GPS attachment) and Autoroute from Amazon.com for about $135+/- total. Each software program, sold separately without the attachment, would be about $40, so the GPS attachment added $40/$50 to the cost. Amazon does not offer Autoroute with the attachment, meaning that if you wanted the attachment, you have to buy Streets and Trips as well. Just go to the Amazon site, type &quot;Autoroute&quot; in the search box, and it will pull up a page with links to all the options I mentioned.