Didgets
Street Atlas USA customizes routes
By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer
Ever seen a TripTik, one of the individualized road maps that AAA members can order? They plot out a custom-designed route from Point A to Point B, complete with tour information, according to how much scenery or how many stops are desired.
The maps you can print out yourself using Street Atlas USA 9.0 ($49.95, delorme.com) can be just as good — better, because the program allows you to update the database with new roads. And you can add in your own text notations to remind you of important points along the way.
Street Atlas USA 9.0 from delorme.com is $49.95.
We didn't get a chance to try those fancier features, however, because the installation process hit a pothole. It turns out this may be less a problem with the software than with the hodgepodge of operating-system conflicts to which Windows users have become so accustomed. The computer failed to read properly from the data disk so it could produce complete maps. The tech-support guy said he sometimes encounters clashes like this with incompatible programs running in the background.
Anyway, this can be a handy utility for someone who ventures into unfamiliar Mainland territory, laptop in hand (it also runs on a palmtop, but that takes an additional $50 program). With luck, you won't need a map to get the thing started.
