|
Amador Computer Users Group
Members Only
An Example of a Good Review and Formatting For Bytes
& Bits:
1] Always use Times Roman font in 10 point type, except:
2] PRODUCT REVIEW should be in bold, caps and 12 point type
3] The byline should be in bold, 10 point type
4] Do NOT use tabs or extra spaces, except:
5] The beginning of the second, and each new paragraph of the review
should be tabbed once.
6] Use bold in the appropriate places as shown below.
7] Bold can be used in a multi-product software suite review to show off
each product name within the suite. For instance in MS Office, you
might bold Powerpoint, Word, Excel, Access.
Remember, this
review will be formatted in columns when it goes into the Newsletter.
Any deviation from the above directions will give our Editor a difficult
time. Your review may be sent back to be reformatted if necessary.
Thank
you for your help!
PRODUCT REVIEW: TITLE
By Dennis Leone
Name: Road Trips Door to Door
Company:
TravRoute Software
1000 Herrontown Rd.
Princeton, NJ 08540
1-888-TRAVROUTE
Fax: 1-609-252-8166
Internet: www.travroute.com
Contact: Brian Wickenden / brianw@travroute.com
Type: Trip routing software
Suggested Retail Price: $49.95
Street Price: $39.99
Medium: Installation CD and Data CD
System Requirements: MS Windows 95 or NT; IBM PC or compatible; 486MHz or better;
8MB Ram (16MB recommended); 60MB hard disk space (90MB for full installation);
640 x 480 resolution in 256 colors; 2x CD drive.
Review:
It was a nice surprise to receive such a complete and easy to use program for trip routing. I have used a few of the early, and upgraded programs by other software companies, and this one beats them all, so far. To start with, the installation was very simple, and loaded seamlessly. You merely install it like any windows programs, through run/setup. The necessary user input is minimal. You can just use all of the default settings. The major choice that you have to make is whether or not you want the minimum setup (60MB), or the complete setup (90MB).
Once the installation is complete, you will no longer need the installation CD. You are now ready to have some fun. Put the Data CD into your drive, and double click the Door to Door icon; enter the registration info (one time); and you're ready to go. The GUI (graphic user interface) is very familiar to anyone using Windows 95. Take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the menu/tool bars; look around a little; browse the small handbook; and fill your gas tank. To set up a trip, click the New Trip button, and examine the next window. Enter the "start place"; put in a street address (optional); enter the "end place"; put in a street address (optional). The included information is so complete that 22500 Ashley Place, Fiddletown, CA, 95629 is on file (this is my address, and it is my driveway.) you can then enter up to fifteen "intermediate stops" along your trip route. Next, you will enter your driving preferences, like driving speeds on various roads, and "quickest", "shortest" or "custom" route choices. This information can be set to act as a default setting, if you wish. You can also add "new places" and street information to the data file.
After you have set up your trip, click run, and you will receive a detailed route
sheet, with times, turns, and distances; you will also get a detailed map. Detail can be increased or decreased on the map; you can zoom in or out; you can also marquis an area, and zoom right to it. Your trip can be edited at any point, and saved for future use. The map and route sheet can be printed, and the format and quality is as good as any I have seen. The one thing that I did miss, was the geographic (topographic) mapping capabilities of Automap (Microsoft), but this was very minor in the context of a trip planning program. I will give a demo at the earliest general meeting. The quality of the program; the ease of use; and the
amount of available information is top notch. TravRoute also offers an online service to give additional trip and hotel info, as well as data upgrades.
They will also give the club a $10.00 discount on an order of ten units.
I give this software a rating of: ***** (5 out of 5 stars).
Guide to the Ratings:
***** Excellent, **** Good, ***Acceptable, ** Poor, * Unacceptable
|
