(Click here for a larger view of HTC's Touch Cruise)

The Touch Cruise, pictured above, made its debut in Nov. 2007, the third device in HTC's popular series of Touch devices. It features a 2.8-inch touchscreen display, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth, and a 400MHz Qualcomm processor. For more information, see our earlier coverage, here.

The downloadable ROM upgrade moves the Touch Cruise from its original Windows Mobile 6.0 operating system to Windows Mobile 6.1. As on other devices, the OS upgrade provides a new task manager, threaded SMS, and compatibility with Microsoft's System Center Mobile Device Manager 2008.


HTC's ROM updating utility for the Touch Cruise
(Click to enlarge)
Like other ROM upgrades for Windows Mobile devices, the one for the Touch Cruise must be performed via a utility (pictured above) that runs on Windows Vista or XP desktop computers. In addition to delivering Windows Mobile 6.1, the upgrade provides fixes for eight different problems, described by HTC as follows:

• Bluetooth -- Output was sometimes not heard from some Bluetooth headsets (Jabra JX10, Jabra BT500 or Samsung WEP 150), even when they had successfully reconnected with the Touch Cruise
  
• Onscreen keyboard -- The Touch Cruise did not remember the last onscreen keyboard selected by the user, instead always defaulting to the "Touch" keyboard
  
• Title bar -- The title bar sometimes disappeared when users returned to the Touch Cruise's home screen
  
• Camera viewfinder -- The Touch Cruise's camera viewfinder did not function properly after users opened a Powerpoint file and then tapped on Options.
  
• GPS -- The Touch Cruise's display became "abnormal" when users took a picture in GPS mode and then suspended the device's operation
  
• FM Radio speaker/headset mode -- The FM radio program did not always use the output mode (speaker or headset) that had been selected before launching the application
  
• TouchFLO -- TouchFLO did not appear in the Settings > System tab
  
• TomTom -- The TomTom GPS application did not show in the home screen

Further information

HTC warns that the downloadable software update for the Touch Cruise is "generic," and will cause the loss of any additional software or settings provided by a mobile operator or company. It will also erase any data stored on the phone, the company adds.

To download HTC's Windows Mobile 6.1 update for the Touch Cruise, see the company's website, here.

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