MapPoint and Streets & Maps come in North American and European versions. They both also come in packages that, at an added cost, include a GPS locator device. Trial versions of MapPoint and Streets & Maps can be downloaded online.
Streets & Trips can calculate travel mileage, trip expenses and arrival times, and can warn you of construction delays. It includes up-to-date street-level maps and offers turn-by-turn directions. It also allows users to find locations such as restaurants, gas stations, ATMs, hotels, post offices, pharmacies and local attractions. When connected to the Internet, Streets & Trips can find even more locations. MapPoint allows users to analyze trends, evaluate performance geographically and construct sales territories. Maps can be created, edited and imported to other programs such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint or put on websites. Businesses can use MapPoint to visualize data, store and manage demographic information, and plan business trips.
Microsoft MapPoint and Streets & Trips enable users to connect GPS devices directly to their laptops, providing spoken turn-by-turn directions. According to pcmag.com, the interfaces for these applications are essentially the same.
In addition to similar GPS functions, MapPoint and Streets & Trips have a pushpin application. This allows users to personalize maps by making points of interest.
MapPoint is designed for businesses, while Streets & Trips is aimed at individuals and families. MapPoint allows users to plan marketing programs using demographic data. It can help businesses visualize variables that seem intangible, like population, marriage and divorce statistics, and household income.
According to Microsoft's website, Microsoft MapPoint costs $299.95, but with the GPS device included the price is around $320. Microsoft Streets and Trips costs $39.95, or $69.95 with the GPS device. The trial versions of both programs are free.
