Microsoft Expedia Pocket Streets 98

By David M. Dolan

Microsoft Expedia Pocket Streets98 is the first street-map program specifically designed for H/PC Windows CE handheld computers and is available only as part of the full desktop Microsoft Expedia Streets98 package. Although interest here is with the pocket program, suffice it to say that the desktop package is an excellent street mapper and compares with, and in some cases is superior to competing packages. Those primarily interested in the Pocket version will want to setup and familiarize themselves with the desktop version first.

Installation and Use

With your H/PC connected to your desktop and H/PC Explorer running, double-click on SETUP. EXE in the HPC directory of the Expedia Streets98 CD ROM and follow the online instructions. If you are careful, setup is relatively straightforward.
To create a Pocket Streets98 map, you first select a map in the desktop program, then draw a square around a selected area and save it in a custom-named map-file in a directory of your choice on the hard disk. Then, with H/PC Explorer running, use Windows95 Explorer to drag and drop the map file you’ve just created into a folder in the H/PC Explorer window. When the map is created, you are informed of the approximate size it will be. Microsoft advises that individual map sizes be kept below 600k which I’ve found to be the size of a medium-size city.

Start Pocket Streets98 on your H/PC and select File, Open (or tap on the Open icon) and you are presented with a list of the map files you have created from the desktop and transferred to the H/PC. Tap on the name of the desired map and it will appear on your display.

Pocket Streets98 lets you select a map from Expedia Streets98, transfer it to your H/PC and take it with you to help you find where you’re going.

You can also create your own Pushpin Files. A Pushpin icon may be placed at any location on your map together with a name and brief description. These entries are stored in a Pushpin File that may be easily recalled and browsed. Simply click on Pushpin Explorer in the Tools menu and the Pushpin names you have entered will be displayed; select any name and tap on Properties to show its brief description or you may double-click the selected name to open the area of the map containing its Pushpin icon. Alternatively, you can tap on any Pushpin icon on the map to display its name; a double-click on the name brings up the description in a Pushpin Properties window.

The Pushpin feature lets you tag important places and enter a brief description about that place, including its address, phone number, etc.

Pocket Streets98 is a full-featured street mapper providing comparable features, and more complete maps than Microsoft’s own desktop Automap Streets of just two years ago. Central to the program is the ability to display the exact location of virtually any street address in the map that you have imported from the desktop version. You can tap on any street for its name as well as the street number at that location. Magnifying glass icons provide for zooming in and out at will.

You can also use Pocket Streets98’s Find feature to look up the main points of interest and go to them on the map.

Use Pocket Streets98’s Find feature to locate places on your map.

Pocket Streets98 has limited but adequate ability to customize map views. A light or dark background may be selected, the light background being far preferable on my HP 320LX. Also, a full or less detailed map may be displayed.

Likes, Dislikes, Recommendations

Limitations of Expedia Pocket Streets98 have more to do with limits of the hardware and available memory. For instance, maps of any sizable urban area will eat up 500k memory or more; a PC memory card is recommended to store maps. Also, an H/PC with a larger screen such as the HP 320LX will show better map detail. My only real criticism is that I would liked to have seen the ability to setup the program and export maps directly from the desktop program through H/PC Explorer to the H/PC.

Otherwise, I like virtually everything else about the program. I have purchased several desktop street mappers over the last two years and never would have thought that such a well-designed, full-featured version would be available for handhelds in a first release. If that sounds extreme, I would go so far as to say that this program might give a frequent traveler reason alone to buy an H/PC handheld!

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