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Microsoft MapPoint 2002

Microsoft MapPoint 2002

List Price: $249.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome Mapping Software!!!
Review: I have used this software for the last 2 years for a major "Walk" in our school system. The features for entering addresses into Excel and importing them to MapPoint makes it wonderful. It's faster and offers many more functions than the online maps. Also, it has the capability to download updates on highway construction and street changes.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Microsoft's Copy Protection Scheme
Review: I recommend you be very careful of this program. It may also use the draconian copy protection scheme of Streets & Trips 2001. It was installed on my primary workstation, and cannot be completely uninstalled no matter how you try. Microsoft puts the basic program file in a hidden directory on the drive where you keep your operating system. Windows NT and above cannot even see this directory, regardless of the settings for hidden and system files.

The only way to see it is to boot native DOS (assuming you have a dual boot system). Then you can see it by removing the hidden attributes of all files, but can do nothing to remove the files. All attempts at deleting files, directories, trees, etc. are met with "access denied". This in native DOS which isn's supposed to have such access rights to begin with.

Another example of "undocumented DOS", which Microsoft is using to keep you from "misusing" their software. In this case I uninstalled the software to put it on another computer in the house, and can't regain several hundred MB on my small DOS C partition which is already strained to hold NT alone.

If you install this program, you may likely never be able to uninstall it, or at least will never regain a lot of disk space if you stop using the program, or (heaven forbid) want to use someone elses mapping software instead.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wonderful mapping abilities, GPS stinks!
Review: I will have to say that first and foremost the streets are exactly correct here in southeastern Wisconsin whereas StreetAtlas does a horrific job in that department, MapPoint is just as bad with GPS functionality. The vehicle cursor only updates every 15 seconds and on the highway that's more than enough time to miss an exit. StreetAtlas does a superb job with GPS but in a subdivision less than three years old you can turn it off and guess your way better.

Fix the GPS functionality and MapPoint is the best mapping software on the market, hands down.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: amazing program until you get burned
Review: I've been using this program for 3 years. I like many of its features and I used it for many many long and short trips. I wrongly assumed that the data is accurate, so I didn't react when the reality was a little different than the Mappoint results. Unfortunately on a couple of occasions the program fooled me into much longer trips (how about a 600-mile mappoint compared to 400 miles from Mapquest?) For the last year I never trusted anything from the program, I always do the 2 point route with Yahoo or mapquest and then enter it street by street in mappoint, I don't trust it for more than 1 corner. Mappoint gives you options to design the route based on some preferences, but in almost all cases that would use some local roads the result will be 20-30% longer than a yahoo/mapquest result. It seems to be able to find the worst solution over and over again. Otherwise a great program! I was looking for an updated version and reading reviews about streets and trips 2004 I realized that it seems to be their philosophy. I guess you'll also like the program, just don't follow their suggestions out on the road.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I suppose it's okay.....
Review: If it's what you need, it may work well. Unfortunately, it was a waste of money for my company and our needs. We need to be able to define worldwide territories as well as a few within the US, and it wouldn't do both. Importing from an Excel file would not work for both the US and other international regions. Further, it took up nearly a full gigabyte of hard drive.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: VERY impressive! :)
Review: MapPoint 2002 is VERY impressive, its much better than the previous versions. A MUST have for any business, big or small! :)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: MapPoint 2002 Documentation Poor
Review: The program is a good idea and has potential but the documentation is very poor. Don't expect to get help from the Microsoft web page. When you call Microsoft for assistance they tell you that because you didn't buy the program as part of the office suite, they don't support it.

I still manage to get great maps but I always feel like I'm only using about 25% of the programs potential but then again, how would I know? The program also has Microsoft's goofy new validation scheme on it. You can find better software at lower prices that are easier to use.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not a lot for the money
Review: This is a very limited product. Save your dimes and get a street map product.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great!
Review: This is the best program I have ever used to catagorize my customer data.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Only worth it for the business features
Review: This product has all the same features as Microsoft Streets and Trips 2001. And for the average home user, that is all you need as the price is significantly lower. What you're paying for with MapPoint is all the data features. It analyzes business info and puts them on a map (usually through an Excel spreadsheet). It also has some more web collaboration features than the standard version.

Unless you are going to seriously use a program to analyze business needs (e.g. where customers are coming from, where you should put a store, etc.), it's not worth it. (It does make some pretty maps and graphs, though.) I would have never bought the program in the first place, but I got it as a promotional sample from Microsoft. I like it, but I will probably never use most of the data tools.

On the mapping side, it's great. Read some of the reviews over for streets and trips and you'll see what a great program it is. MapPoint does all the same things.

(For those who care, this product does not use the controversial product activation sequence as other office 2002/xp programs do.)


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