Navigate with Tablet PC and Microsoft Streets & Trips 2005 with GPS Locator
Published: April 6, 2005
Many people use a Web site like MSN Maps & Directions to print out directions before they travel. But printed maps can't show you how to get back on track if you take a wrong turn. In fact, you might not even notice that you missed a turn until you're miles off course. Getting lost is easy when following printed directions, because the names on street signs often don't match the names on the maps. I hate being lost, because it almost always makes me late.
Microsoft Streets & Trips 2005 with Global Positioning System (GPS) Locator solves the problem by using free GPS satellites to pinpoint your location on a street as you drive. The software shows a map of the streets around you and draws a green line on the most efficient route to your destination, as shown in Figure 1.
Streets & Trips shows you the most efficient route as you drive.
Optionally, a blue line marks the path you've driven. The map can rotate so that it's always facing the direction you're traveling, which makes it much easier to visualize your path as you drive. If you miss a turn, you can find a new route with the tap of a button.
In this column I'll explain how to use Streets & Trips 2005 with Global Positioning System (GPS) Locator and a Tablet PC to navigate in a car or on foot. I'll explain how to use the software to find services near your route and give you safety pointers for using a Tablet PC in a car.
Using a Tablet PC for navigation in the car
Streets & Trips runs on almost any Windows computer, but desktop and laptop computers are too bulky to use in a car. Tablet PCs are awesome for a road trip, though, because Tablet PCs don't require the use of a keyboard or mouse. You use a special pen to tap directly on the screen as an alternative to clicking with a mouse, and you write on the screen as an alternative to typing on a keyboard. Holding a Tablet PC is just like holding a clipboard or a hardback book, so it's easy for a passenger to hold the computer and use Streets & Trips to help the driver navigate.
It's easier to use a Tablet PC in a car than it would be to use a notebook computer.
To plan a trip with Streets & Trips and a Tablet PC, first use Streets & Trips at home to plan your trip. Then place the GPS on your dash, connect the included USB cable to your Tablet PC, and have a friend hold the Tablet PC in their lap.
Place the GPS included with Streets & Trips on your dash.
If you're traveling by yourself, find a safe place to mount your Tablet PC so that you can focus on your driving but still see the map. I use a dashboard mount from ProClip, and attach my Tablet PC with the ProClip Move Clip Kit.
For less than $100, you can mount your Tablet PC to your dash.
It only takes me a couple of seconds to remove my Tablet PC from the bracket and stow it behind the seat, out of sight, when I leave my car. The ProClip mount doesn't require any permanent changes to my dash, so I can remove it later if I sell my car.
The idea of using a computer in your car might seem odd, but it's actually very common. Policemen, emergency personnel, truck drivers, salespeople, tourists, and computer hobbyists have been using computers in their cars for years. As a result, there is a wide variety of hardware available for mounting your computer. If you have a heavier computer, I recommend the NPI RAM Plastic Computer Tray, or you can buy a bracket made specifically for your Tablet PC model such as these for the HP/Compaq TC1000 and TC1100.
How to find services near your current route
Once you're comfortable using a computer in your car, Streets & Trips can guide you to just about any street address. It's liberating knowing where you are and where you're going, but you'll really appreciate Streets & Trips the first time you need to take a detour for food, gas, cash, or just about anything else.
To find services near your current route
1. | Stop your car so that you aren't distracted from driving. |
2. | Make sure you have an active route, and then open the Find Nearby Places pane. |
3. | Tap the Show or Hide Places button, and make sure the type of destination you need to find is selected. Tap OK. |
4. | In the Search field, select the number of miles off the current route that you're willing to travel, tap the Around list, and then tap Entire route. |
5. | Tap the Search button. Streets & Trips searches its database of 1.8 million points of interest to find possible destinations, and then displays all possible stops. The highlighted section of the map is the area Streets & Trips searched for destinations.  Streets and Trips can show you the shortest detour to nearby services. |
6. | Browse the results by tapping each one to view its location on the map. |
7. | Use your pen to open the shortcut menu for the destination you want to visit, tap Route, and then tap Add as Stop. |
8. | Tap the Route menu, and then tap Get Directions. Streets & Trips will generate the most efficient route to your new stop, and then guide you to your final destination. |
Tips for using a Tablet PC in the car
The most common question I see in online forums about using a Tablet PC in the car is how do I control it while driving? Most of the time, you control your Tablet PC by writing on the screen, but it's not intuitive or safe to use a pen while driving. To work around that, plan your route while the car is stopped, so that you can safely focus your attention on the computer. You shouldn't have to use Streets & Trips again until you reach your destination. For more tips and tricks, read this topic at the GPS Passion Forums.
Second, if you plan to use your Tablet PC with Windows Media Player 10 to play digital music through your car stereo, you should program the physical buttons on your Tablet PC to play or pause music, and switch to the next or previous track.
Set your Tablet PC buttons to perform functions useful in your car so you don't have to pick up the pen while driving.
Before you start driving, use your pen to select a playlist or album, and then minimize Windows Media Player. You can still use the buttons on your Tablet PC to switch between tracks, even if Windows Media Player is minimized. By planning your route before you leave and using the physical buttons to switch tracks, you shouldn't have to use the pen while driving at all.
Tip: Use offline Web pages to store a copy of Web pages with information about traffic, highway construction, and weather so you can always access it while you travel.
Using Tablet PCs for navigation on foot
Because you can use a Tablet PC while standing, they're great for navigating when walking through a city, hiking, or even geocaching. I highly recommend the optional Bluetooth Dock accessory for the Pharos GPS receiver included with Streets & Trips for navigation on foot. The Bluetooth dock replaces the USB cable that normally connects your Tablet PC to the GPS receiver with a wireless connection.
The GPS receiver always needs to be able to receive satellite signals, but with the wireless Bluetooth connection you can wear the GPS receiver on your belt using the carrying case, and store your Tablet PC in a messenger bag, briefcase, or backpack. Many new Tablet PCs have Bluetooth built-in, but my HP/Compaq TC1000 didn't, so I added a Billionton Bluetooth CompactFlash adapter for about $35.
Wear a Bluetooth GPS receiver on your belt, and you can bury your Tablet PC in a bag and still use Streets & Trips to track your location.
Recently, my wife and I took a walk around a nearby pond, but I couldn't park in my usual location. I was worried I'd forget where the car was, so I started Streets & Trips, put my Bluetooth GPS receiver in an outside pocket of my backpack, and tossed my Tablet PC inside my backpack. After circling the pond, we took a wrong turn and didn't know how to get back to the car. I pulled out my Tablet PC and knew instantly where I was, where I had turned off the main path, and where my car was parked. Streets & Trips marked our path around the pond in blue, which made it easy to find my way back to the starting point.
Streets & Trips can track your location as you walk, which makes it easy to find your way back to your car.
You should definitely use Streets & Trips the next time you drive someplace unfamiliar. To get started, you can watch a demo online, download a free trial, or buy it with the GPS adapter (which includes a Microsoft 30-day guarantee). If you're shopping for a new computer, choose one running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition. They give you the benefits of a notebook, but they're more versatile because they don't need a keyboard and can be used in the car or while walking.
 | Tony Northrup is a writer, an Internet engineer, and a digital photography enthusiast. Tony has a decade of experience making networks and servers connected to the Internet run smoothly. He has authored and co-authored eight books about using Windows and written dozens of articles about Internet technologies. When he’s not on his deck writing, he toys with home automation technologies and takes pictures for display in a Web photo album. He lives in the Boston area with his wife, Erica, and cat, Sammy. You can learn more about Tony by visiting his Web site at http://www.northrup.org.
|
