Microsoft Streets & Trips 2008 with Connected Services

Microsoft has announced Streets & Trips 2008 with a twist; it will be available with "Connected Services," utilizing the MSN Direct Services used for the Garmin nuvi 680 and StreetPilot c580. Streets &Trips won't have all the capabilities found on those models, just gas prices and live traffic, leaving out weather and movie times.

Streets & Trips utilizes a mouse-type GPS, which streams position data to your laptop (as shown at right), an antiquated navigation solution. Perhaps in the future Microsoft will move into the Personal Navigation Device market. Neglecting the clunky  hardware setup, this product still leaves a lot to be desired since it has only a paltry 1.6 million points of interest.

Retail pricing is as follows:

• Streets & Trips 2008 with Connected Services - $179.95
• Streets & Trips 2008 with GPS Locator - $99.95
• Streets & Trips 2008 (Standard) - $39.95

Microsoft's press release says that it "also integrates with Live Search Maps, allowing consumers to find up-to-date local information that can easily be saved to take on the road." Basically, this means that when your laptop is connected to the Internet, you can use Live Search to add business listings to your maps.