No more paper maps for me...

Last week, I got my hands on a copy of Streets & Trips 2005 with GPS Locator. This weekend, I bought the cable assembly to connect it to my Pocket PC and got it hooked up in my car. This is my first GPS device (odd, I realize, for a Microsoft geek to be just getting his first GPS) and I have been having fun using Pocket Streets to tell me where I am as I drive around the area. 

Though I have lived here for more than 20 years, whenever I go into Seattle, I inevitably find myself facing a "No Left Turn" sign when I need to turn left. Maybe now, I'll remember to plot a route and have Pocket Streets (now works on SmartPhone devices!) show me how to get where I need to go -or- if I forget to do that, I can let the GPS keep me from getting too lost. :)

Anyway, to me, the coolest part of this package is that the GPS device is convertable. I can attach it to the included USB cable and connect to my laptop (for use with the full Streets & Trips product) or attach to the serial cable for my PocketPC and use Pocket Streets in the car. I could even buy a Bluetooth adapter and communicate with my device wirelessly.

Just for fun, I went into the GPS Information dialog (in Pocket Streets) while driving past the Microsoft campus (on the highway) and compared my speedometer to the speed the GPS was reporting... looks like my car's speedometer is accurate. :)

To cut a long ramble short, my hat is off to the Streets & Trips and MapPoint teams... They put together a very cool package. Thanks to them, I have finally joined the modern era of navigation.

Have a good weekend!
-- DK

[Edit: Fixed punctuation]