Even with a GPS device in my car and GPS functions on my cellphone, I still like to have a reliable mapping program on my computer for plotting trips on a big screen with plenty of driving preferences that I can print out in big type with a variety of color maps. Microsoft’s new 2010 Streets & Trips software with GPS Locator provides the best of both worlds; it performs great mapping that can then be sent to your GPS device, so the routes, with stops and detours, are in sync. The software includes more than 1.7 million points of interest within a 50-mile radius of the route, rerouting from where you are if you get off course, and a slew of other typical GPS features. Comes with a basic GPS locator, but I like also having a big bright full-function GPS device on my windshield. Microsoft 2010 Streets & Trips with GPS Locator, $69.95, or 800-642-7676. Judi Dash, Gear & Gadgets Syndicate
