[fletch521]

I am starting a new job this week and they recommend I install Microsoft Streets & Trips is there a alternative to this program that will work on my Mac?

[amazing]

Why can't you use the GPS on your iPhone 3G? Surely that will get you wherever you need to go?

Or Google Maps for that matter?

Perhaps we need more details on what function MS Streets fulfills?

[fletch521]

Why can't you use the GPS on your iPhone 3G?

They provide me with a list of addresses and I go to each one of them and do a quick inspection of the property. I believe that Microsoft Streets & Trips will sort them out and provide the most efficient rout.

[ibook_steve]

This has absolutely nothing to do with Mac notebooks. Moving to applications.

Steve

[cgc]

Why the aversion to MS Streets & Trips? Have you tried it or just don't wanna lug a laptop around?

[fletch521]

Why the aversion to MS Streets & Trips?

It doesn't work on a mac

[amazing]

You could install it in Parallels, but that's only good if you already have Parallels already setup.

I'm wondering whether Google Earth (free) might not work for you? I believe you can mark places etc?

[skybolt]

Unfortunately, there is not a good alternative. The only one I know of is Route 66, but it is awful, and I don't think it is being developed any more. This is really a large hole in the array of apps for macs. If someone would create such a thing, they could probably make millions! DeLorme used to support macs, but no more.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by fletch521 

I am starting a new job this week and they recommend I install Microsoft Streets & Trips is there a alternative to this program that will work on my Mac?

They recommend ?

So why don't you get a dedicated GPS unit, grab that list of addresses and use your GPS to get to the locations.
If they only recommend M$ Streets & Tips, they surely care more about you getting there, than what tool you are using.

Using a laptop for navigation in a car is effing stupid anyways.

-t

[fletch521]

I have never thought about running windows type programs on my mac before. I always thought of it as dropping a chevy motor into a BMW. I have never had to use the computer for work before either so I may have to bite the bullet.

I never paid any attention to what is involved to do this. With Parallels do I need to install a Windows program to use Streets & Trips?

Using a laptop for navigation in a car is effing stupid anyways.

I was not planning on that. I have a built in GPS and GPS on my iPhone. I would like to print out a list and rout before I start.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by fletch521 

I was not planning on that. I have a built in GPS and GPS on my iPhone. I would like to print out a list and rout before I start.

Could you explain what MS Street & Trips will do for you ?

My understanding is that the company gives you a list of addresses to visit.
Why can't you feed this directly into your GPS ?

-t

[fletch521]

Why can't you feed this directly into your GPS ?

Because it will be 50-60 address a day. With Streets and Trips I believe I can cut and paste from the list they provide and it will optimize the route.

If anyone knows of a GPS unit that will do this (TomTom, Garmin, Magellan?) I would go that route ( pun intended )

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by fletch521 

Because it will be 50-60 address a day. With Streets and Trips I believe I can cut and paste from the list they provide and it will optimize the route.

If anyone knows of a GPS unit that will do this (TomTom, Garmin, Magellan?) I would go that route ( pun intended )

This doesn't make any sense.

You are not intending to use MS S&T for the actual guidance, but only to calculate the route ?
How do you want to copy & paste the routes from MS S&T to your GPS ?
If you had a PC laptop, how would this work ?

-t

[fletch521]

This doesn't make any sense.

You are not intending to use MS S&T for the actual guidance, but only to calculate the route ?
How do you want to copy & paste the routes from MS S&T to your GPS ?
If you had a PC laptop, how would this work ?

Really, I can read a map. All I need is a mapping program that will sort the destinations to the most efficient route form one to the other. I am told that Microsoft Streets & Trips does this. I cannot cut and paste to any GPS that I currently have. I don't know how it would work on a PC, never had one, never will.

The job initials surveying 50-60 properties a day several days a week. I'm going to be given a list of 150-180 addresses that are not sorted in any order than perhaps their zip codes. They will be on streets and in towns that I have never been to before. There will not be time to waste driving any unnecessary miles and that will quickly take the profit out of this venture.

I'm not sure this will work out as advertised so I would really like to avoid investing in a program that will run windows, and investing is some form of windows and investing in Microsoft Streets & Trips. If there is a GPS out there that will handle this then that investment would be useful for other things beside this potential job.

[turtle777]

Ok, I understand now.

If MS S&T is the only app that can put together the most efficient routes for multiple destinations, then you are stuck with using Parallels or VMWare Fusion to run it on your Mac. But you need to have an Intel based Mac.

-t

[dedalus]

I don’t get the problem.

You get to the first address using Google Maps or whatever on your iPhone. Once you’re done there, you paste in the next addy, follow the directions, and so on.

Guess I must be missing something.

[Edit: Ah, right, you want the app to sort out in which order you should hit the targets? Me, I’d do that myself, print out a map of the area, should be easy enough. You don’t need software for that, imo.]

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by dedalus 

[Edit: Ah, right, you want the app to sort out in which order you should hit the targets? Me, I’d do that myself, print out a map of the area, should be easy enough. You don’t need software for that, imo.]

With 60 targest a day, you need to be very good at just figuring it out from a map.
Every minutes counts.

And even then, Google Maps will not easily let you import a list of 60 addresses and display them all.
Apparently, since the company recommends MS S&T, they will (hopefully) provide a data file that can be easily fed into MS S&T.

-t

[fletch521]

Originally Posted by dedalus 

[Edit: Ah, right, you want the app to sort out in which order you should hit the targets? Me, I’d do that myself, print out a map of the area, should be easy enough. You don’t need software for that, imo.]

I was playing around with that today, selecting random addresses from my address book. Google maps will mark the locations but not provide directions and after just a few the markers it gets to confusing.

With 60 targest a day, you need to be very good at just figuring it out from a map.
Every minutes counts.

...and has to be done during the daylight. I have to take a picture too. That will be a 9 hour window this time of year.

Also, if I go the Parallels way do I need one of the Windows programs to run Streets & Trips?

[ibook_steve]

Originally Posted by fletch521 

Also, if I go the Parallels way do I need one of the Windows programs to run Streets & Trips?

Not sure I understand your question here. Parallels is the Mac program you run to virtualize running Windows. It requires a copy of Windows itself to work. If you just want to run this one Windows program, you could use Crossover by Code Weavers which does not require a copy of Windows. See our Alternative Operating Systems forum for details.

Steve

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by fletch521 

Also, if I go the Parallels way do I need one of the Windows programs to run Streets & Trips?

You need

* Parallels or Fusion
* Windows XP / Vista / 7 (I'd recommend skipping Vista)
* MS S&T

-t

[cgc]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

You need

* Parallels or Fusion
* Windows XP / Vista / 7 (I'd recommend skipping Vista)
* MS S&T

-t

VirtualBox is free and should suffice...still needs Windows unless you install Linux into VirtualBox then run Streets & Maps in Wine (should work but a little convoluted).

[Marvin H]

Originally Posted by ibook_steve 

If you just want to run this one Windows program, you could use Crossover by Code Weavers which does not require a copy of Windows.

Unfortunately, the compatibility center on the CrossOver site lists Streets & Trips versions 2006 and 2007 as "Known not to work". A user recently tested Streets & Trips 2008 with CrossOver, but he didn't succeeded in getting it to work: Trying Streets & Trips 2008 on Mac using CrossOver. Microsoft recently released S&T version 2010, but I don't know if there has been any improvement in the compatibility with CrossOver.

However, the other earlier mentioned suggested solutions seem to work. If you do a little bit of search, you will find numerous Streets and Trips users using the program on their Mac under Parallels with no issues.

[amazing]

The advantage of using Parallels is that once you have a stable, functioning virtual machine, you archive a copy of that machine. And you continue archiving a copy of the virtual machine as you go.

Then, if you do something to bork up the virtual machine, or Windows does something for you to bork up the virtual machine (given the swiss cheese nature of Windows), you just trash that particular VM and copy the archived copy back. I've done this multiple times...

Frankly, you might just want to get a cheap netbook and install MS S&T. Small screen might be a problem?

[Marvin H]

Frankly, you might just want to get a cheap netbook and install MS S&T. Small screen might be a problem?

Microsoft improved the latest version (v2010) slightly so that all buttons now fit on screen of netbooks. I think even on the box of Streets & Trips 2010 it mentions netbook compatibility. Many people do run S&T on netbooks, but undeniably the larger screen the better, especially as we get older and the vision is no longer 20/20.

[fletch521]

So I installed a trial version of Parallels, The full version of Windows 7 ($199.00) and a trial version of Streets & Trips. Everything is working as advertised.

Thanks for the help...

[amazing]

thanks for reporting back: it's always nice to hear about success stories.

Congratulations!