Yesterday I got lost on my way to a new job assignment because my MapQuest directions did not make sense. Gas is just too expensive (and my car’s AC too weak) to let that happen again. Are there any better but free alternatives available?
Mapblast is pretty good. It seems to be the more accurate of the two IMHO.
This service has free samples, but you need a GPS to make it work.
I personally like www.randmcnally.com, but I can’t honestly say whether it’s better than mapquest, since I don’t use mapquest. Give it a try and compare.
I’m going to second mapblast and also suggest yahoo maps, for the bottom of the suggested barrel.
You said “better than Map Quest.” Considering how the two times I’ve used it, it twice sent me to a non-existent exit and once said “take the exit,” without telling me which one or where to, that leaves a long list available.
I would love to find a site that creates driving directions using a waypoint. In other words, go from here to there and include this point in the route. ANy one know of such a feature, free or not?
There is no factual answer to this question. What sites are better is a matter of opinion.
Off to IMHO.
DrMatrix - GQ Moderator
While I hate to say the phrase “Microsoft does it right,” in the case of web maps they do. MapPoint has higher-quality maps. I haven’t tested their directions, but you can try it out and see if the directions make more sense.
i’ll second randmcnally.com
Not exactly a map tool, but http://www.keyhole.com/ has a really cool application. It lets you zoom in nearly anyplace in the world from satelitte photos. Also not free, but fun to play with for the 30 day trail.
This is not a free alternative but IMHO a far superior one. MS Steets and Trips, usually w/ a rebate it goes for about $25. The advantages, well the main advantage is it’s fast and doesn’t require an internet connection. The full program loads to the harddrive if you want so no CD’s are needed.
It also prints out some pretty good maps, also it will give you the waypoint if ou wish to use a gps to find a location.
http://mapsonus.switchboard.com/ allows waypoints. It can also plan a shortest route connecting a number of waypoints, but it’s not guaranteed.
(And for the highest resolution aerial photos available for free for selected urban areas, go to http://nationalmap.usgs.gov/index.html.