Others say...

"Route Errors are a safety problem"
I installed this on a new laptop and did not change any program settings. On the first trip I used it on I was driving through high speed rush hour traffic after dark in downtown St. Paul, MN. The program inexplicably directed me to get off the interstate and re-enter a few blocks later. Seeing no reason to do so, I stayed on the interstate, expecting the program to re-calculate the route. Instead, it displayed "ROUTE ERROR" and quit tracking altogether! Fortunately, I knew my way around enough to get out of downtown safely without having to stop, but the program had to be restarted to resume tracking.

Tech support was little help. When I reported the error, they said there must be a "break in the data" and it shouldn't happen "very often." I replied it is unacceptable and unsafe for the program to shut down rather than continue to try to recalculate in heavy traffic, and asked if there was a program change in the works to resolve the problem. Instead of addressing my question, they told me to try re-installing the program.

BETTER KEEP A MAP IN THE CAR IF YOU'RE GOING TO USE THIS PROGRAM.

"WARNING: GOOD JUDMENT STILL REQUIRED FOR EFFECTIVE USE!"
We purchased the Delorme Earthmate GPS, along with the "Street Atlas" for a long road trip a week ago. The product, with its voice instructions, worked fairly well.

So far, our main observation is that it did not distinguish between, let's say, exit "20-A" and exit "20-B". It instructs you only to make a turn at exit 20.

However, after traveling for about a minute or two in the wrong direction, it will recalculate your route and point you in the correct direction.

Consequently, as you have no doubt discerned with the use of most other equipment/software, good judgment and common-sense is required to use it effectively.

See also:
Delorme Earthmate GPS LT-20 with Street Atlas 2007

"Two & 1/2 years of giving it a nationwide test--very cumbersome & marginally reliable"
I have all 50 of the DeLorme State map books. They have good topo features and decent references to parks, points of interest, etc. When DeLorme put the maps on a disk with a GPS connection I thought navigating would be a breeze. I cannot tell you how much time I have wasted plotting routes on this software. I used it on a 22,000 mile road trip/photo shoot in 2005. I work in out-of-the-way areas. The database maps (both street and topo)have no detail in national or state parks. They generally do not even show where the visitor centers are located.They do not show the points of interest in the parks. They are just big green blobs on the screen with a line running through showing the basic road that transverses the park land. The maps have absolutely no topo features like the books. That is another software subscription. The Topo map program (which I also bought for the 2005 trip) did not have the trip planning functionality that the road atlas program has and does not provide worthwhile topo features in the public lands. The topo program is almost amatureish in its renderings and if you want to use the split map and see an elevated view, you get very little useful information for planning. Certainly, with national lands and the trails in them being absent from the data bases of both the street and topo products, it offers minimal help to the hiker.
Notwithstanding my dissatisfaction with the 2005 street and topo products, before I embarked on the current journey (I have been on the road 2 1/2 months as I write), I bought the 2008 street map disc (it is not an upgrade, you buy new each time). As with the 2005 version, the GPS periodically tells me that I am off route, as the cursor shows me tracking across farm fields, etc., maybe where the road used to go years ago. Frustrated by all of this, I went back to my Garmin Quest. It also leaves a lot to be desired but it is more reliable. If you get the DeLorme gps, spend at least a day learning the basic functions. There is little intuitive about its operation. Spend another day in your computer setting your waypoints (roads, towns, addresses, etc.)that you may be traveling the next few weeks and run a couple tests to see how well the program maps your route. I often have to go into the route and force the most direct route by adding via/waypoints along the way that simply looking at the map makes clear. If you try to do this while traveling, you will spend more time on your computer than driving. I am on a 6 month journey right now and have simply removed the DeLorme programs from my computer and only rely on the Garmin to get me through or around metropolitan areas. Otherwise the paper DeLorme state atlases and basic state maps guide me. Finally, don't rely on the program to have up to date comprehensive info on lodging, points of interest, etc. All have some, but in the last month none of the programs have guided me to one location where I ended up spending the night. For every one RV park that showed up from the data base, I saw one or two more in the same area that were better. And if you have an "air card" for your laptop, you can use the Google maps and get traffic info along the way.

"Amazon has its data wrong on this"
I have this product, and Amazon is wrong in its description.

I have tried to contact Amazon but they will not listen.

THIS product does NOT come with Street Atlas USA 2008 PLUS; it comes with Street Atlas 2008. The PLUS software has a database of 150 million phone listings (imagine drive through Bethesda MD and your realize you have lost your contacts and need an eye doctor. PLUS software will help you find one with a phone number.)

The software that comes with this product does not have 150 million phone listings.

The software that comes with the more expensive Earthmate GPS BT-20 2008 IS Street Atlas USA 2008 PLUS with the 150 million phone listings.

(Isn't it sad we have to correct Amazon product desciptions by writing a review instead of by contacting someone by email?)

"DeLorme Earthmate GPS LT-20"
Can't beat the price, the product seems to be top notch as far as laptop plug-ins go. However, the learning curve as to how to use the unit as well as navigation within the program is severe....or perhaps it's just me!