Good: accurate directions, street detail
Bad: no turn-by-turn guidance

Good: supports speech, low disk space needs, free
Bad: lack of maps and data

Good: street-level detail, points of interest, routing, directions, speech
Bad: often inaccurate directions, high storage needs, poor support

I first reviewed Street Atlas USA Version 5.0 in 1997. Version 7.0 was released October 1999 and is the last version of Street Atlas USA I've tried. I have not tried Version 8.0 and, at this point, I don't plan to. I have not seen significant improvements in SA versions since V6.0 and, that, along with reduced product compatibility, weak technical support, and improvements in competing products, has greatly reduced my interest in and use of Street Atlas USA.

In general, Street Atlas USA has performed well, with caveats expressed. It comes on 2 CDs and requires a fairly powerful laptop to use. It needs over 600MB for a CD-less install.

It calculates routes and generates directions. It then uses speech technology to guide you to your destination.

There are a few negative points I've found. First, the routes and directions have been spotty. Many times they are accurate and useful. Sometimes they are just plain wrong. Most often, they are close, but some of the streets, turns, or exits are mis-named. This seems especially true in more dense regions with more complicated freeway systems.

In terms of real-time in-car navigation, it's generally very nice, but I do have a few issues. One thing I don't like is the panning and zooming when tracking GPS position. It doesn't seem to zoom automatically to useful levels. With SA7 I constantly find myself having to manually zoom in and out. I also have some problems with the voice navigation. First, while one can set the time at which SA7 speaks the directions and distance to the next turn (i.e. 90 seconds from the next turn), I haven't found a way to cause SA7 to repeat the directions automatically as you approach the turn (e.g. 5 minutes, 2 minutes, 90 seconds, 60 seconds). This would make solo use much easier. The computer generated voice isn't always easy to understand and SA7 speaks the directions fairly rapidly, especially when one is driving in an unfamiliar area and trying to read signs and deal with traffic while listening to SA7. I also haven't found any easy way to manually force SA7 to repeat the directions. The keys and commands for these common GPS and voice related controls seem too awkward in real-life use.

Good: Accurate maps, speech, flexible disk space requirements
Bad: Only compatible with Sony GPS

This package has by far the best maps, far more accurate than any of the other PC software packages I've seen. These maps are from ETAK, the same as those used in many dedicated navigation systems.

One downside of this high level of accuracy is data size. Skymap map data requires three CDs, while most the other programs fit all their map data on a single CD. Skymap has a nice feature that allows use without a CD. It allows one to install detail maps for just the specific regions needed to the hard disk (e.g. for a specific trip). This is excellent for laptops with limited disk space and no internal CD-ROM.

Another disadvantage of Skymap is that it requires the Sony GPS and it isn't compatible with standard NMEA GPS receivers. However. the Sony GPS can operate in NMEA mode so it is compatible with other programs and it is relatively inexpensive. And one advantage of the Sony GPS for use with laptops is that it connects using a PCMCIA slot rather than a serial port. Many of the smaller laptops do not have a serial port without adding a docking module or a port expander. This makes Skymap a somewhat less cumbersome package in the car, compared to some other configurations.

The SkyMap user interface isn't as feature rich as SA7, but the fantastic map accuracy and detail, as well as turn-by-turn routing with voice guidance more than make up for it. SkyMap 2000 is my first choice for in-car navigation, edging out Delorme SA7 and (so far) Traveroute Co-Pilot.

Unfortunately, Sony sold the SkyMap product to a Belgian-based map company called Tele Atlas, and they no longer sell the software.

Good: Navigation, speech
Bad: Weak maps/directions, price, speech recognition problems, requires Co-Pilot GPS

Co-Pilot 2000 comes with a hardware GPS unit and has a lot of features but is rather expensive ($400 retail) compared to the other packages reviewed.

The first thing about using Co-Pilot is that, like all navigation using Windows laptops, it takes a long time to get everything set up so you can start driving. By the time you get all the cables connected, the laptop booted, and Co-Pilot started, you could easily spend five minutes or more, just sitting in the driveway or parking lot (with the engine running to power the GPS).

The Co-Pilot GPS receiver requires separate power, which can come from the laptop via a PS-2 mouse port or via the cigarette lighter of the car. Co-Pilot map data comes on one CD and may be installed onto the hard-disk to allow for CD-less use in the vehicle (requires 650MB). Co-Pilot does not allow one to install only specific portions of the data.

In terms of planning the route, Co-Pilot is similar to its sister product Door-to-Door described above. Once you're on the road and using Co-Pilot for navigation, the program operates in one of two modes: Passenger or Driver mode.

In Driver mode, Co-Pilot will not display the maps when the car is moving. The text of the next route instruction (next turn) are shown on the screen in big letters, along with an arrow indicating the direction of the next turn, instead of the map. Voice commands, such as "Where am I" or "Next Turn" can be given to control the program.

In Passenger mode, the system assumes a passenger is operating the laptop. The maps are visible and the program allows full program control using the mouse.

In real-life use I've found the speech recognition of this system to be better than the average. However, I have still found that it sometimes stops functioning, requiring the program to be restarted. In these situations, the program just stops responding to voice commands for no apparent reason and you find yourself hollering at your laptop to no avail. It can be very frustrating if this happens just when you need the program during a real navigation scenario.

Once you've picked a destination, entered it into Co-Pilot, and enabled navigation, Co-pilot acts a lot like a dedicated navigation system. It speaks out the directions in a reasonably clear voice and in a reasonably sane manner. It is probably the best program of those reviewed here in this regard. I particularly like that pressing any key causes Co-Pilot to provide information on your position, speed, the next turn etc.

While I do not have a tremendous amount of experience with the program, I find the interface for selecting and creating routes and waypoints difficult to use. The feedback does not work well for me. I don't like the lack of direct control over routes. Co-Pilot always wants to do more than I want it to. It seems to have input modes or states that can produce unexpected results. In general, I wish it were more positive about what it was doing.

In terms of the driving directions, the routes the programs selects are sometimes questionable. In my experience, roads and turns are often mislabled and the driving directions often exclude some important actions while adding extraneous "turns". The routes Co-Pilot selects haven't been optimal or common (i.e. it's not the way most people go).

One feature that Co-Pilot has that is really nice is the automatic re-calculation of a route when you go off course. None of the other programs reviewed handle this situation as nicely as Co-Pilot. Unfortunately, since Co-Pilot's driving directions are often confusing, incorrect, or impossible to follow, it often leads you off course, making this feature a necessity. In these cases, you will eventually get where you want to go, but it might take some extra time that would have been avoided with a more accurate route and better driving directions to begin with.

I particularly dislike that when a stop is added (e.g. to force Co-Pilot to use a road I want to use), it declares this point the "destination" until it is reached and passed. I still want to know the distance to my real destination, not some random point along a highway. If the routes it selected were better in the first place, perhaps this would be less of an issue.

As for the map data itself, it's okay but not as good as Skymap's ETAK maps.

It's unfortunate that Travroute only, supports their overpriced GPS receiver. In general Co-pilot seems a bit overpriced compared to the competition. Traveroute says the price is justified because Co-Pilot implements features of full-fledged navigation systems costing thousands of dollars. There may be some truth to this in terms of the software features, but Co-pilot cannot overcome the limitations of using a general purpose Windows laptop in a vehicle, which is the major advantage of dedicated in-car navigation systems. Using Co-pilot means having a mass of cables spread around the interior of the car, with a laptop PC parked someplace. Traveroute recommends using a cassette adapter so Co-Pilot can talk through your stereo, but if you do that, you cannot listen to CDs or the radio at the same time. These are all symptoms of trying to use a laptop and Windows in ways in which they were not designed. Dedicated navigation systems have screens designed to be readable in bright sunlight; they have integrated speech designed to be heard in a loud automobile at highway speeds; they have electronics that operates on 12V power and they turn on and off automatically. Traveroute and Co-Pilot offer none of these features.

Good: Navigation, speech, maps, packaging
Bad: quirks, price, map data licensing