company says.
(Click here for a larger view of HTC's 2009 Touch Cruise)
HTC's earlier Touch Cruise
(Click image for further information) |
If the name of HTC's new phone sounds familiar, that's because the moniker has been recycled from an earlier device! The first
Touch Cruise (right) was released in November 2007, becoming the third in the manufacturer's popular series of
Touch phones.
Like its predecessor, the newly announced Touch Cruise has a 2.8-inch touchscreen display with 320 x 240 resolution, plus a GPS receiver. However, the '09 version is smaller, has a faster processor, and also comes with more memory, according to HTC.
Most notably, the company says, the device's GPS capabilities have been enhanced. When placed into a car cradle -- bundled with the phone -- the Touch Cruise switches to a "one-touch" interface mode claimed to offer "seamless" turn-by-turn directions.
Unlike other recent phones that also target automotive use, such as the
Pharos Traveler 137, the Touch Cruise provides navigation capabilities without requiring owners to subscribe to a service, HTC claims. Once removed from its cradle, the phone returns to its regular home screen, effectively eliminating the need for two separate devices, the company adds.
HTC's Touch Cruise, with its "Footprints" applicationThe Touch Cruise is additionally said to be bundled with an application called "HTC Footprints" (above). This picture-taking software automatically tags photos with relevant GPS coordinates, allows users to append an audio clip to each image, and permits addition of written notes, according to HTC.
HTC says the Footprints software saves users from the rigors of naming their images, automatically giving "digital postcards" names derived from their general location or area -- "Eiffel Tower," for example, as pictured at the top of our story. Without providing a technical explanation, the company claims that "unlike other devices," the Touch Cruise provides reliable geotagging even indoors.
According to HTC, the Touch Cruise features a Qualcomm MSM7225 chipset, clocked at 528MHz. The device has 256MB of RAM, 512MB of flash storage, and a microSD expansion slot, the company adds.
With a 2.8-inch touchscreen display, the Touch Cruise sports a fixed-focus 3.2 megapixel camera, and a four way navigation wheel. Said to be capable of 7.2Mbps data downloads via HSDPA (high speed downlink packet access), the phone includes 802.11b/g WiFi and Bluetooth, according to HTC.
Features and specifications listed by HTC for its 2009-model Touch Cruise include:
- Processor -- Qualcomm MSM7225 clocked at 528MHz
- Memory -- 256MB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage
- Display -- 2.6-inch touchscreen display with 320 x 240 resolution
- Camera -- 3.2 megapixel, fixed focus
- Wireless:
- WAN -- Quad-band (850/900/1900/2100MHz) HSDPA
- WLAN -- 802.11b/g
- PAN -- Bluetooth 2.0
- GPS
- Other I/O -- HTC ExtUSB (jack combines audio and miniUSB signals)
- Expansion -- microSD slot
- Battery -- 1100mAh lithium-ion battery, with GSM talk time of up to 400 minutes, and standby up to two weeks
- Dimensions -- 4 x 2.1 x 0.57 inches (102 x 53.5 x 14.5mm)
- Weight -- 3.63 (103g)
According to HTC, its new Touch Cruise will be available "across all major markets in spring 2009." Pricing was not released, however.
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