In AutoRoute 2010 there is an easy way to capture the lat/long. Zoom in at 1 mile and place your mouse pointer over the desired location (or pushpin), and observe the lat/long displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the screen.

Now hit Ctrl+Alt+C to copy the lat/long of the location of your mouse pointer. You can then paste the lat/long on any text editor. (48.86543°N 2.31525°E)

Here is something everyone who reads this should take part in…your chance to win 1 of 2 copies of Microsoft AutoRoute 2010 with GPS locator (a £66.99 value).

Marvin Hlavac from LaptopGPSWorld.com forum is running a contest starting DEC 11th.   Microsoft has donated a couple copies of the latest version of MS AutoRoute as giveaways for the Laptop GPS World forum.   Entering the contest could not be any easier.  Any user who posts a comment, reply, question or anything to this AutoRoute review between Dec. 11 – 17th, 2009 (your local time zone) is eligible to win.  Two participants will be randomly chosen as winners.

What are you waiting for?  Here is the link to the thread.

Psst!  There is a similar contest running for Streets & Trips too.

UPDATE – The winners of the free copy of AutoRoute 2010 have been announced.

Christmas is around the around the corner and Santa Claus has planned his special deliveries using AutoRoute. But how is Santa going to keep track of pending deliveries and the ones he has completed. Using Microsoft AutoRoute that will be a very easy thing to do.

This is the map that Santa has created. It has 2 pushpin sets: Pending Delivery and Delivered. All pushpins in the map are now associated with ‘Pending Delivery’ pushpin set.

As and when a delivery is made, Santa needs to transfer the pushpins from the ‘Pending Delivery’ pushpin set to the delivered pushpin set. To do that right click on the pushpin and select its Properties.

In the Pushpin Properties window, change the Data set name to be ‘Delivered’. This will move the pushpin from one pushpin set to the other.

What if you wanted to move multiple pushpins from one pushpin set to the other. You will not be able to select multiple pushpins from the map but you can do this from the Pushpin set properties window. Right click on the ‘Pending Delivery’ Pushpin set and select Properties. The pushpin set properties window will open. Now select the ‘Matching’ tab. You will be shown a list of pushpin that belong to ‘Pending Delivery’ pushpin set. Select the pushpin that has been delivered and then right click on the selected pushpins and select ‘Cut’

Tip: Use combinations of Ctrl/Shift keys to multi select the pushpins from the list

And then click the <OK> button on the pushpin set properties window. Now right click on the ‘Delivered’ pushpin set and select ‘Properties’. The pushpin set properties window will open. Now select the ‘Matching’ tab. You will be shown a list of pushpin that belong to ‘Delivered’ pushpin set. Right click on the list and select ‘Paste’

By this way you can transfer multiple pushpin sets from one pushpin set to the other.

All major features of AutoRoute application can be invoked by a shortcut key and even the power users don’t make the best use of the available shortcut keys in AutoRoute. You can quickly accomplish routine tasks by using the keyboard shortcuts.

A keyboard shortcut is a key or set of keys that performs a predefined function. For example, in Windows, pressing ALT + ESC switches among loaded applications.

The following are the shortcut keys that I use most often.   I would consider these as the most useful and they'll help you to effectively and efficiently plan your trip.  If I missed your favourite let me know and I can added to the list.

For a list of all the available shortcut keys in the application, press F1 from AutoRoute and read the help topic ‘keyboard Shortcuts’ under the Window Features section.

You have read about the latest version of Microsoft AutoRoute 2010 and you can now give it a try!

Many of you have asked in the past for a trial download.  We heard your request and have made the trial download available (even before the full boxed product has made it to the stores!).

I am amazed on how fast the news has travelled around.  Already, 100's of folks have downloaded AutoRoute 2010 and are asking questions.

Here is a quick FAQ:

Q: What is the difference between the Trial Edition and the final edition?  Have any features been withheld?

A: Other than the 60-day trial limit,  there is no difference between the trial and the final version.  It is a fully functioning version of the product.

Q: When does my trial begin?

A: You will begin your trial on your first launch of the application.  You will have 60-days to try it out (regardless of how many times you use the application).

Q: I have a previous version of AutoRoute installed - do I need to uninstall it first?

A: No, both versions can be installed at the same time.  Be sure to leave the "Keep Previous Version" checkbox checked while installing.

Q: How do I convert my trial to a full edition without the 60-day limit?

A: Purchase the product from your favourite retailer and choose "Activate now" and follow the instructions to enter the Product key that came with your purchased product.  Note: there is no need to uninstall the trial edition and re-install from the purchased edition.

Q:  Can I just buy a Product key online?

A: Yes. Buy the product from Microsoft Online Store and choose the download option while purchasing. You will be sent the product key in email after you have successfully completed your transaction.  

Q: Where can I download it?

A: AutoRoute 2010 Trial Edition can be downloaded from the AutoRoute website.

Use comments for further Q&As.

Sometimes you may not find an address, route, road, motorway, or the information that you find may be inaccurate in Microsoft AutoRoute. Additionally, you may be looking for a feature or a component in the product that is currently unavailable.

Microsoft obtains the map data that is used in our products from an independent third-party geographical data provider, NAVTEQ. The data is about 6 months old. We take the data and hard code it to the product. This means that mapping information in the current version cannot be dynamically changed or updated. As you know, a lot of changes can occur within 6 months, as new roads, streets, and homes get built. NAVTEQ updates their data on regular basis. If you are looking for a new feature in the product, use the feedback form that is available in the product. Or, send a direct e-mail to the developers of the product.

Although revisions cannot be made to the data in the current versions of these products, your feedback is appreciated. It will help improve later versions of these products. Microsoft values all customer feedback. We want to hear from you about how we can make our products better.

Additionally, because Microsoft obtains its map data from the NAVTEQ, you may want to check if NAVTEQ’s data has the information that you are looking for by searching http://mapreporter.navteq.com. If you can find the information, it means that the future version of the product may include the updated map.

All versions of Microsoft AutoRoute allow you to add pushpins to your map.  This a great way to personalise your trip with annotations that are meaningful to you.

There are a variety of built-in standard pushpin symbols but you can also create your own custom symbols and use them just like your standard symbols.

Step 1: Creating a custom symbol

Note: sometimes you can find images on the web that will work but remember to respect copyright laws :D

AutoRoute supports the following file formats for custom symbols:

• Uncompressed Windows bitmap (.bmp) file format with a maximum size limit of 128 × 128 pixels and colour depth of 16 or 24 bits

• Windows icon (.ico) resource file format with a maximum size limit of 128 × 128 pixels and a colour depth of 16 or 24 bits

• Windows cursor (.cur) file format with a maximum size limit of 128 × 128 pixels and a colour depth of 16 or 24 bits

If needed you can use Microsoft Paint (built into the Windows Operation system) to convert your JPG, PNG, or GIF to a BMP format that will work in AutoRoute, just make sure that Save As…24-bit Bitmap as shown below.

Step 2: Importing your custom symbol

Click on the small down arrow next to the Red pushpin on the Standard Toolbar to display the pushpin chooser.

Click on “Import custom symbol…” and browse to your custom image and click OK.

Your custom symbol is imported into AutoRoute and added to the list of available symbols. You can use a custom symbol the same way as any standard pushpin symbol.

Save this map file and your new custom symbol gets saved with the map.  That way if you share it out to a friend they can see your new custom symbol too!

As always, don’t forget to refer to the help files if you need more details on using custom symbols in your maps.

Please feel free to leave a comment if you have a question or a suggestion for future posts.

I have been asked how to do this enough times that I need to do a blog post on it.

If you want to use Microsoft AutoRoute with your DeLorme GPS including:

• USB Earthmate GPS
• Earthmate GPS LT series
• Earthmate GPS PN series
• Earthmate GPS BT-20

It can be done.  You’ll need to install the DeLorme Serial Emulation Driver so that your DeLorme GPS can be recognised by Microsoft AutoRoute (and other NMEA 0183 compliant mapping applications).

Note: This driver is not for use with the 64bit version of Windows. This driver is also not supported when coming out of sleep or hibernation mode.

Before installing this update, plug the Earthmate GPS into an available USB Port to allow Windows to recognise the GPS as an HID device.

1. Click here to download the serial emulation driver (file size: 14 MB).
2. Save the file to the desktop.
3. Locate DeLorme Serial Emulator1.1.exe and double-click it.
4. Click Next.
5. Select the "I accept the terms of this license agreement" option.
6. Click Next.
7. Restart the computer when prompted.
   Note: The installation will resume once the computer has restarted.
8. Click Next.
9. Click Finish.
10. Right-click on the DeLorme Serial Emulator system tray icon and select Ports... from the pop-up menu.
11. Select NMEA next to the COM Port you wish to use and close the utility.
12. Open the mapping application.
13. In the GPS Settings, select NMEA as the device and the COM port you selected in step 11 as the COM port the device is connected to.
14. Start the GPS.

For further details and how to configure the emulator please visit the DeLorme link below:

http://www.delorme.com/support/supporttemplate.aspx?id=319

These are a few questions that our new Microsoft AutoRoute users ask when they start using the product.

• How can I customise my trip Start/End times?
• How can I save automatic rest stops?
• How do I save custom driving Speed adjustments?
• How can I save fuel consumption and tank capacity?
• How to save Custom fuel cost values?

To get them start using AutoRoute like a Pro and to make use of the powerful template feature we decided to create this post.

If you go to the ‘More route options’ window by clicking the <More options> button, then you will see a series of tabs. Each of these tabs (except segments) lets you customise your route information based on your trip needs

Say for example,  you wanted to set your custom values for Fuel costs and also include refuel warnings on your trips then you change the values under the Fuel tab according to your needs and click <OK>, likewise for other tabs.

Now, select ‘Save’ from the File menu. And change the ‘Save as type’ field to be ‘Map template (*.axt)

Create a copy of the original New European Map (right-click on New European Map, choose copy, Ctrl_V to paste it with a new name)

Now single-click on the New European Map (this will populate the 'File name' text box with the correct name of the default template).

click <Save>.

You have now successfully created your very first custom AutoRoute template file. Every time you launch AutoRoute, it will open with this new default template.   Now you won’t need to edit the mileage or other route preferences each time you plan a trip.

How do I get the distance between A to B, B to C, etc? This has been one single feature request that has been asked numerous times by our users over the years.

Here is how you do it,

1. Add start, stops and your end point to the Route Planner pane, then

2. Select ‘Print’ from the ‘File’ menu

3. Press the <More options> button on the ‘Print’ dialog

4. In the 'More Printing Options' dialog, select 'Include summary statistics' checkbox.

Now, when you print the directions you will also see the summary statistics in the last page that shows the information that you are looking for.