MapPoint is desktop software for business mapping (statistics, analysis, routing), it comes with demographics data included (or add your own), and it is programmable (you can write your own, or use existing add-ons). There is a North American version and a version for Europe. Microsoft also offers a less expensive consumer-oriented software with a sub-set of MapPoint's features: Streets & Trips for North America (link), and AutoRoute for Europe (link).
Updated maps. I see newer streets now on the map in my neighborhood in MapPoint 2013. Microsoft has added 150,000 miles of new roads and 600,000 new points of interest (POI) to the North American version, which has just been released. I have not seen MapPoint Europe 2013 yet, but it is on it's way. The EULA does make a reference to MP EU 2013, as it does to AutoRoute 2013. The EU products usually release weeks or months after the NA launch.
GPS-related features improved. 1. Users can opt out of receiving the Safety Warning each time navigation is enabled; 2. Heading (N/E/W/S) is now shown in the Navigation pane; 3. Speed (MPH or KMH) shown even when GPS pane is closed, it shows even in full-screen nav mode.
Show all pushpin names. In addition to the ability to toggle 1. hide/show all pushpin sets, and 2. hide/show all pushpin information, the application can now 3. show/hide all pushpin names.
Create larger Drivetime Zones. 9999 minutes versus 999 minutes in previous versions.
New style buttons. Windows 8 Metro UI look.
More details, including screen shots, can be viewed in the Streets & Trips 2013 review here.
MSFT has skipped MP2012
Version 2011 was purely a map data refresh. It introduced no new functionality to the software.
Version 2010 contains some very significant improvements. It has incorporated several user-suggested features. The following is a brief look at some of the differences between v2010 and v2009.
Map coverage:
The new Map Settings pane is an excellent feature many users will love. It allows one to turn off unneeded map features to eliminate clutter and make the map more visually appealing for presentations, etc.
Show/Hide pushpin sets, Show/Hide pushpin balloons
Improved pushpin management. It is now possible to toggle hide/show individual pushpin sets. It even is possible to toggle show/hide pushpin information balloons.
Delete visible pushpins inside or outside of a selected area
The above before & after pictures illustrate another improvement of pushpin management in MapPoint 2010.
Import / Export GPX files
Share data between other mapping software, online maps, or portable GPS devices by introducing the ability to import and export .gpx files.
Send to mobile phone, Send to GPS device
Send location information to a mobile phone as an SMS.
Send also to a GPS device.
Easier way to save defaults application settings
Users of MP2010 no longer have to save new template for some of the more basic items, such as setting their preferred map area to show upon start up, etc.
Rename Route Stops
Rename Route Stops is one of those new features in 2010 that is comparatively minor but really adds a lot of 'usability' to route planning. Thanks for that MSFT. More info in the Navigation pane
Pushpins are back!
One of the disappointments of version 2009 was the removal of the familiar pushpin symbols and substituting them with only 45 new ones. Version 2010 brings us 348 new pushpins. I think they do look just fine.
The 10,000 addresses import limit has been removed
Earlier versions allowed up to 10,000 addresses to be imported at one time. This hard coded limit has been removed in the new 2010 versions of the software.
Back & Forward functionality returns!
MP2009 dropped the Back/Forward buttons. MP2010 doesn't bring the buttons back, but the functionality has been restored and it can be accessed either by going to the View menu, as shown on the above picture, or by using keyboard shortcuts Alt+ LeftArrow and Alt+RightArrow.
Pause Windows Media Player during spoken navigation instructions.
MP is now able to pause Windows Media Player while voice instructions are spoken. This is an excellent feature for those of us who use it for real-time GPS navigation. This feature can be enabled in Tools => Options => Navigation
Related Reading
MP2009NA review
MP2009EU review
Mapping tools for MP
Book - Mappoint for Dummies
Questions? Comments?
Updated maps. I see newer streets now on the map in my neighborhood in MapPoint 2013. Microsoft has added 150,000 miles of new roads and 600,000 new points of interest (POI) to the North American version, which has just been released. I have not seen MapPoint Europe 2013 yet, but it is on it's way. The EULA does make a reference to MP EU 2013, as it does to AutoRoute 2013. The EU products usually release weeks or months after the NA launch.
GPS-related features improved. 1. Users can opt out of receiving the Safety Warning each time navigation is enabled; 2. Heading (N/E/W/S) is now shown in the Navigation pane; 3. Speed (MPH or KMH) shown even when GPS pane is closed, it shows even in full-screen nav mode.
Show all pushpin names. In addition to the ability to toggle 1. hide/show all pushpin sets, and 2. hide/show all pushpin information, the application can now 3. show/hide all pushpin names.
Create larger Drivetime Zones. 9999 minutes versus 999 minutes in previous versions.
New style buttons. Windows 8 Metro UI look.
More details, including screen shots, can be viewed in the Streets & Trips 2013 review here.
MSFT has skipped MP2012
Version 2011 was purely a map data refresh. It introduced no new functionality to the software.
Version 2010 contains some very significant improvements. It has incorporated several user-suggested features. The following is a brief look at some of the differences between v2010 and v2009.
Map coverage:
- MP 2010 North America
12 months fresher data.
Detailed street-level maps and address find capability for USA (including Alaska and Hawaii), and Canada (all provinces and all territories).
In addition, it also provides street-level coverage, but does not support address find for Mexico, Puerto Rico, and all three U.S. Virgin Islands (St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas).
- MP 2010 Europe
Street-level map data of 42 European countries versus the previous versios 2009 which contained detailed map coverage of only 36 countries.Map settings
Detailed street-level maps and address find capability for Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
In addition, it provides some street-level coverage, but does not support address find, for Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hungary, Ireland, Jersey, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Isle of Man, Monaco, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, San Marino, and Vatican City.
The new Map Settings pane is an excellent feature many users will love. It allows one to turn off unneeded map features to eliminate clutter and make the map more visually appealing for presentations, etc.
Show/Hide pushpin sets, Show/Hide pushpin balloons
Improved pushpin management. It is now possible to toggle hide/show individual pushpin sets. It even is possible to toggle show/hide pushpin information balloons.
Delete visible pushpins inside or outside of a selected area
The above before & after pictures illustrate another improvement of pushpin management in MapPoint 2010.
Import / Export GPX files
Share data between other mapping software, online maps, or portable GPS devices by introducing the ability to import and export .gpx files.
Send to mobile phone, Send to GPS device
Send location information to a mobile phone as an SMS.
Send also to a GPS device.
Easier way to save defaults application settings
Users of MP2010 no longer have to save new template for some of the more basic items, such as setting their preferred map area to show upon start up, etc.
Rename Route Stops
Rename Route Stops is one of those new features in 2010 that is comparatively minor but really adds a lot of 'usability' to route planning. Thanks for that MSFT.
Pushpins are back!
One of the disappointments of version 2009 was the removal of the familiar pushpin symbols and substituting them with only 45 new ones. Version 2010 brings us 348 new pushpins. I think they do look just fine.
The 10,000 addresses import limit has been removed
Earlier versions allowed up to 10,000 addresses to be imported at one time. This hard coded limit has been removed in the new 2010 versions of the software.
Back & Forward functionality returns!
MP2009 dropped the Back/Forward buttons. MP2010 doesn't bring the buttons back, but the functionality has been restored and it can be accessed either by going to the View menu, as shown on the above picture, or by using keyboard shortcuts Alt+ LeftArrow and Alt+RightArrow.
Pause Windows Media Player during spoken navigation instructions.
MP is now able to pause Windows Media Player while voice instructions are spoken. This is an excellent feature for those of us who use it for real-time GPS navigation. This feature can be enabled in Tools => Options => Navigation
Related Reading
MP2009NA review
MP2009EU review
Mapping tools for MP
Book - Mappoint for Dummies
Questions? Comments?
The new Map Settings pane in Microsoft MapPoint 2010 is an excellent feature many users will love. It allows one to turn off unneeded map features to eliminate clutter and make the map more visually appealing for presentations, etc.
It's way more useful than just for presentations.
When you are planning you usually want a bigger picture of things, so more detail when zoomed farther out. Sometimes when planning you don't mind a little more clutter if it allows you to see more POIs and things with a large area of the map displayed.
When you are navigating you generally want the least amount of clutter and usually a much smaller area of the map showing.
Score a double for Microsoft. Now let's go for a home run and put it into Streets&Trips and Autoroute.
...ken...
Can this mappoint service be mapped onto phones?
And also, if this service is able to be mapped into phone, will the service be able to run without internet connection?
And also, if this service is able to be mapped into phone, will the service be able to run without internet connection?
Ken, I bet many of us, Streets & Trips users, would love this new "Map settings" pane, too.
Hi Mark,
Welcome to Laptop GPS World.
The above reviewed Microsoft MapPoint 2010 will unlikely run on a phone, unless the phone runs a PC OS, such as Windows XP or Windows Vista, etc.
Microsoft MapPoint installs its map data into the computer's hard drive, so no Internet connection is needed to browse the map and/or for real time GPS navigation.
Hi Mark,
Welcome to Laptop GPS World.
The above reviewed Microsoft MapPoint 2010 will unlikely run on a phone, unless the phone runs a PC OS, such as Windows XP or Windows Vista, etc.
Microsoft MapPoint installs its map data into the computer's hard drive, so no Internet connection is needed to browse the map and/or for real time GPS navigation.
Oh Thank you for the response.
Actually I have one more question, if my application is a mobile VB.net application, can this MapPoint service be embedded into our application?
Actually I have one more question, if my application is a mobile VB.net application, can this MapPoint service be embedded into our application?
Mark, this is a good question for Eric's MapForums.
Eric just lowered his price to US$219:
If interested, a link to his online store is at the bottom of the review above.
MS and others were selling for around $224, I think we now have the lowest price anywhere.
Also, the $219 includes free shipping within the US. ($35 FedEx to Canada and $70 FedEx elsewhere) as well as one year access to the MapForums Downloads section.
Also, the $219 includes free shipping within the US. ($35 FedEx to Canada and $70 FedEx elsewhere) as well as one year access to the MapForums Downloads section.
I am a current user of MapPoint 2004 with the AGPS add-on, and was using it as a navigation tool on a Toshiba laptop running XP Service Pack 3. That laptop has died and my new one came with Windows 7 and that combination of software won't run on it. Does the new MapPoint 2010 GPS run on Windows 7?
Since I probably will have to update my tool, I have been considering S&T instead, because I only use the location finder and route planning parts and S&T is a lot less expensive. Can S&T display maps that were produced on MP? For that matter, can MP2010 work with older maps?
Does either product allow for hiding the little yellow numbered boxes that identify the route points? Some of the uses I make of the route maps are much too cluttered up with those boxes, and they are not needed when only the route is important.
Since I probably will have to update my tool, I have been considering S&T instead, because I only use the location finder and route planning parts and S&T is a lot less expensive. Can S&T display maps that were produced on MP? For that matter, can MP2010 work with older maps?
Does either product allow for hiding the little yellow numbered boxes that identify the route points? Some of the uses I make of the route maps are much too cluttered up with those boxes, and they are not needed when only the route is important.
Hi David, and welcome to Laptop GPS World. Years ago I used to use AGPS with MapPoint. AGPS was an excellent add-on which those days made real-time navigation with MapPoint possible. With the current versions of MapPoint, AGPS is no longer needed, as a lot of GPS-related improvements have been made over the past several years in MapPoint and the consumer-oriented Streets & Trips and AutoRoute.
If you plan on switching from MP to S&T, be aware that while MP can open files saved in the same or older version of S&T, it doesn't work the other way around. But you could open both, and copy/paste pushpin sets from MP to S&T.
There was a discussion here about the yellow/red/green icons: http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/617-microsoft-streets-trips-2008-how-hide-stops
If you plan on switching from MP to S&T, be aware that while MP can open files saved in the same or older version of S&T, it doesn't work the other way around. But you could open both, and copy/paste pushpin sets from MP to S&T.
There was a discussion here about the yellow/red/green icons: http://www.laptopgpsworld.com/617-microsoft-streets-trips-2008-how-hide-stops
Marvin, I had read that "trick" for hiding the route point markers, but it's really not a solution for me--what good is a map without any writing? Does the trick also wipe out the Pushpins, too? (At least the Pushpins can be hidden, even in MP2004, one at a time.)
Since there have been many requests for a way to hide these markers, on both MP and S&T, why do you think MS has not responded to such a logical request?
Since there have been many requests for a way to hide these markers, on both MP and S&T, why do you think MS has not responded to such a logical request?
Hurray Albania!
I want to know the amount of multiple destinations I can install. I have 400 stops per day in garbage company. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Dragstreet,
Streets & Trips has no limits on the number of stops along your route. For testing purposes I tried 65K stops and performance was not so good.
More details here: What is the Max Number of Waypoints for a Route? | Streets & Trips Team Blog
Streets & Trips has no limits on the number of stops along your route. For testing purposes I tried 65K stops and performance was not so good.
More details here: What is the Max Number of Waypoints for a Route? | Streets & Trips Team Blog
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