Mapopolis PPC $34(no GPS)

Microsoft Pocket Streets($39-GPS)*

DeLorme Street Atlas USA($49-GPS)*

Rand McNally Streetfinder($29-GPS)*

Introductory screenshots of  4 mapping programs available for Pocket PC.

Simple selection of a road to Identify it. Mapopolis has street names disabled; the other programs don't have that option. 3 out of the 4 place the label on or near the road; Mapopolis and Delorme include postcode information. Delorme doesn't pinpoint addresses, and all information is in the retractable pane below the map. The highlighting square(the little red one) is animated.

Menu options. All programs use the cascading Windows Menu. From these menus you can access most of the program functions, Map selection, routing, GPS and so on. Mapopolis system tray has some of the more useful options directly accessible: zoom, map orientation, detail level, and the Find/Navigation  menu.  Streetfinder does likewise in it's side panel. Map selection in Mapopolis and Delorme is not always neccesary, Mapopolis can load all maps in a directory; Delorme loads all contiguous maps by default(It's not a selectable option). In Pocket Streets and Streetfinder, map selection is neccesary, and you're limited to the map you select.

Mapopolis provides the largest array of settings of any of the programs. I use the standard Platinum Map Pack, which has no GPS options(per Mapopolis); the GPS Options choice in the menu does nothing. It doesn't matter, since Verizon disables all bluetooth functions, so I couldn't use anything anyway. Mapopolis also makes full use of the hardware buttons on the PPC, you can use the program without a stylus in many cases.

Okay, let's find my house. Or something. Since I don't have my local map loaded in Rand Mc Nally, I can't do this. Oops. Lucky I have the right map cued up in Pocket Streets. Mapopolis doesn't have a problem, since the entire state of New York is loaded, and Delorme has the right areas loaded, too. With Mapopolis, you can use the drop down to specify the seach area. "Anywhere" is every map you happen to have loaded. You can get more specific by scrolling down, choices include towns and postcodes. Unforyunately, unlike Mapopolis Palm, you can't make direct postcode entries. Pocket Streets is simple enough. Enter a street address, and it has a guess. Too bad it lists the wrong state... Delome does the dropdown stylee, too, you can specify a postcode, but only after you specify a locality. Streetfinder asks for a specific city or any city, boolean guesses appear in the "Search Result"  window.

And The Results are in! Mapopolis highlights a street and gives ya a cute lil house, as it happens, pretty close; Pocket Streets does it's usual thing; also fairly close. The POI's can be toggled off, by the way, for less clutter. Delprme doesn't have specific addresses, so you only get the street. Street Finder gives you a box with a dropdown. Open it and you get the city.

Mapopolis guesses come up pretty fast, the number you get depends on the size area you've selected. Boolean searching is selectable, so I could restrict the search even further if I toggled it off.

Delorme has this strange oddmakers bit. I guess since the map doesn't spell out "Drive" that reduces the odds or something. Go figure.

Routing! Well, mostly, anyway. Pocket Streets doesn't do routing, and you can't export from Streets and Trips either. Mapopolis does quite nicely, though. You can choose points by tapping on the map, entering addresses, or use a drop down to recall saved points. You can choose to look at your itinerary or a route map, and can easily return to either. And you can save routes. Spiffen, eh? There is a couple of XTRAs too. You get spoken directions, and can also orient the map to your general direction of travel(in 15 degree increments)-note the NORTH arrow in the bottom pane. Delorme also does routing but...You're limited to the maps you have to hand, and the 51 mile route I made up here took nearly 20 minutes to construct(note the times on the screenshots) The maps are stored on the SD card, as are Mapopolis. Delorme saves routes by default, rather than offering a choice. You only get verbal direction with a GPS. Rand McNally does routes, but it's not much use with non-contiguous maps. The step pane is completely separate, which might be useful with a GPS..

Here's the trick nobody else does. Distance measurement by road. Delorme also measures distance, but by straight line only.; kinda tedious if you want to measure road distances. This is limited to roads shown on the map, but just the same, a nice tool.

Coverage(as purchased): US, Puerto Rico and Canada. All maps available if needed. Statewide routing and national routing possible. *GPS support-stated as none by dealer. GPS capable map packs are available(at $99) GPS bundle for Palm OS only. Mapopolis.com

Coverage(as purchased): US, Puerto Rico and Canada. Size is limited by the program. No Routing. *GPS Capable with reciever purchased seperately or as a bundle by Microsoft. Microsoft Streets and Trips

Coverage(as purchased): US and Canada-main roads. (no street detail or POIs). Size is unlimited; Lower detail maps for long distance routing are an available option. Routing limited to available maps *GPS Capable with reciever purchased seperately or as a bundle by Delorme. Delorme.com

Coverage(as purchased): Contnental US only Map size is limited.. Routing limited to displayed map only. Maps are not contiguous. *GPS Capable with reciever purchased seperately. NOTE: This software is NOT available on the Rand McNally Website Handmark(StreetFinder site)

This is an upgrade of a page originally done in 2k4 comparing easily available mapping programs for the Windows PPC platform. The machine used in this comparision is an Audiovox XV6600 Pocket PC running PPC 2003 SE

Mapopolis maps are available as individual county files, and downladable by county or state. Contiguous maps can be joined(program option). Pocket Streets, Delorme and Rand Mc Nally maps are 'cut' by selecting an area in the PC program and exporting that data to the PDA. Delorme maps are contiguous.  Pocket Streets and Rand Mc Nally Maps are not.