Windows Phone Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

Check out the hottest Windows Mobile devices at our Expansys store!


Digital Home Thoughts

Loading feed...

Laptop Thoughts

Loading feed...

Android Thoughts

Loading feed...




Go Back   Thoughts Media Forums > WINDOWS PHONE THOUGHTS > Windows Phone Hardware

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 01-22-2009, 05:55 PM
Darius Wey
Developer & Designer, News Editor Emeritus
Darius Wey's Avatar
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,959
Default HTC Unveils New Touch Cruise with Footprints

http://www.htc.com/www/product/touc...e/overview.html

"HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, today announced its latest personal navigation handset with inbuilt GPS. The new HTC Touch Cruise, an update to 2008's popular HTC GPS device of the same name, boasts a new, more compact design and a host of new capabilities to offer a richer and more intuitive experience in one powerful package."

HTC has taken the covers off the new Touch Cruise, which boasts a new design and new software. With HTC Footprints, the Touch Cruise takes geotagged pictures a step further by embedding notes and audio clips and packaging them into postcards. If you ever have the urge to look at a previously-created postcard, Footprints allows you to retrace your steps to the exact location the postcard was created.

On the hardware side, the Touch Cruise includes a Qualcomm MSM7225 528MHz processor, 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM, a 2.8" QVGA touch screen, quad-band GSM/EDGE and dual-band HSDPA (900MHz/2100MHz) connectivity, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0, aGPS, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and a microSD slot. And to top it off, there's an in-car cradle in the box, too.

The Touch Cruise will be available in all major global markets, but alas, not until the second quarter.

"Taipei, Taiwan - January 22, 2009 - HTC Corporation, a global leader in mobile phone innovation and design, today announced its latest personal navigation handset with inbuilt GPS. The new HTC Touch Cruise, an update to 2008's popular HTC GPS device of the same name, boasts a new, more compact design and a host of new capabilities to offer a richer and more intuitive experience in one powerful package.

Introducing HTC Footprints

The new HTC Touch Cruise is the first mobile phone to offer HTC Footprints, an application experience that enables people to permanently chronicle their special moments by capturing a digital postcard on their phone. Once captured, Footprints provides the ability to take notes and an audio clip of that favourite restaurant or special place while identifying its specific geographical location. In addition to identifying each postcard with its specific GPS co-ordinates, Footprints also auto-names each postcard with its general location or area.

Flipping back through their photos, HTC Touch Cruise users will be able to retrace their steps to that exact location in just a few touches. Unlike other devices with geo-tagging functionality, HTC Footprints works effectively outdoors and indoors, offering a more accurate record of location for future reference and navigation.

"Just as we have seen GPS technology transform how people navigate to new places, we are now seeing location-based applications like HTC Footprints changing how we interact and carry our memories," said Peter Chou, President and CEO, HTC Corporation.

HTC Touch Cruise Car Cradle

The HTC Touch Cruise is also an advanced in-car navigation system. When placed into its accompanying car cradle, the HTC Touch Cruise automatically transforms its user interface into an easy-to-use, one-touch interface that provides seamless turn-by-turn directions.

Boasting a compact and sleek design with a 2.8 inch QVGA display, the HTC Touch Cruise is a further demonstration of HTC's continued commitment to innovation, providing consumers with a variety of devices designed to meet their individual needs. Using HTC's TouchFLO technology, the HTC Touch Cruise provides fingertip access to phone, contacts, email, messaging, calendar and GPS applications, making it a strong all-around device.

The new HTC Touch Cruise will be available to customers across all major global markets in spring 2009.

Key HTC Touch Cruise Specifications

  • Size: 102 x 53.5 x 14.5mm
  • Weight: 103 grams
  • Connectivity: WCDMA/HSPA: 900/2100MHz. HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
  • Operating system: Windows Mobile® 6.1 Professional
  • Display: 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touch-sensitive screen with QVGA resolution
  • Control panel: HTC TouchFLO, 4-Way navigation wheel with Enter and HTC Footprints buttons
  • Camera: 3.2 MP, with fixed focus
  • Internal memory: 512 MB flash ROM, 256 MB RAM
  • Expansion Slot: microSD memory card (SD 2.0 compatible)
  • Bluetooth: 2.0 with EDR
  • Wireless: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
  • GPS: GPS/A-GPS
  • Interface: HTC ExtUSB (mini-USB 2.0 and audio jack in one)
  • Battery: 1100 mAh
  • Talk time: GSM: up to 400 minutes
  • Standby time: GSM: up to two weeks
  • Chipset: Qualcomm® MSM7225TM, 528 MHz

About HTC

Founded in 1997, HTC Corp. (HTC) designs, manufactures and markets innovative, feature rich smartphone and PDA Phone devices.

Since its establishment, HTC has developed strong R&D capabilities, pioneered many new designs and product innovations and launched state-of-the-art PDA Phones and smartphones for mobile operators and distributors in Europe, the US, and Asia. These machines are available as HTC devices and as products individually customized for operator and device partners.

HTC is one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile device market. The company is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange under ticker 2498. For more information about HTC, please visit www.htc.com."

__________________
Want the latest news, views, rants and raves? Visit our portal. Wish to contact me? Send me a private message or e-mail.
 
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 01-22-2009, 06:46 PM
Cattle-Dog
Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 69
Send a message via MSN to Cattle-Dog

QVGA? That's soooo pass�.
 
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 01-22-2009, 09:30 PM
efjay
Theorist
efjay's Avatar
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 274

Because of HTC's dominant position in the WM market they can release totally forgettable devices like these. What does this device offer over models like the Diamond and even the original Touch Cruise? It doesnt even come with PIE6 which was supposed to be released by the end of 2008 and will undoubtedly not receive any kind of upgrade to WM 6.5 either.

Seems HTC has realised they can release any old device, slap on a new shell and call it a new device. I saw this question posted elsewhere and it makes sense, why not release updates to current phones instead of cranking out subpar devices like this? They really are starting to do more harm than good to WM and one hopes that some competitor will emerge to bring some real choice to the WM market.
__________________
Back to being The Last Windows Mobile Fanboy - now with a Dell Venue Pro!
 
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 01-22-2009, 10:31 PM
Jason Dunn
Executive Editor
Jason Dunn's Avatar
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160

Quote:
Originally Posted by efjay View Post
Seems HTC has realised they can release any old device, slap on a new shell and call it a new device.
Yeah, I have to agree - this is a bit disappointing. HTC is releasing new devices too often, they should pool their design teams and focus on fewer, but better, designs.
__________________
Want to contact me personally? Use this. Want to read my personal blog? Check it out. Want to follow me on Twitter? Here you go.
 
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 01-24-2009, 02:04 AM
Pony99CA
Swami
Pony99CA's Avatar
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 4,396
Default Subpar?

Quote:
Originally Posted by efjay View Post
I saw this question posted elsewhere and it makes sense, why not release updates to current phones instead of cranking out subpar devices like this?
What exactly is "subpar" (meaning below average) about this?

You can say it doesn't have much new (probably true), you can say HTC is releasing too many devices (also probably true), but I don't see anything subpar about it.

Steve

P.S. If you thought that getting fingerprints on your device was bad, HTC is now putting Footprints on them.
__________________
Silicon Valley Pocket PC
http://www.svpocketpc.com
 
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 01-24-2009, 06:36 AM
JesterMania
Thinker
JesterMania's Avatar
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 378

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pony99CA View Post
What exactly is "subpar" (meaning below average) about this?

You can say it doesn't have much new (probably true), you can say HTC is releasing too many devices (also probably true), but I don't see anything subpar about it.

Steve

P.S. If you thought that getting fingerprints on your device was bad, HTC is now putting Footprints on them.
I don't know what your definition of subpar is but my opinion of "subpar" would be the QVGA screen. Many devices nowadays have a minimum of VGA with other devices such as the Touch HD and Xperia X1 having higher 800x480 sizes. Thereby, my "average" would be a VGA screen whereas this has a QVGA, thereby being "below average" or a.k.a. "subpar"..."
 
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 01-24-2009, 11:17 PM
Pony99CA
Swami
Pony99CA's Avatar
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 4,396
Default VGA vs. QVGA

Quote:
Originally Posted by JesterMania View Post
I don't know what your definition of subpar is but my opinion of "subpar" would be the QVGA screen. Many devices nowadays have a minimum of VGA with other devices such as the Touch HD and Xperia X1 having higher 800x480 sizes. Thereby, my "average" would be a VGA screen whereas this has a QVGA, thereby being "below average" or a.k.a. "subpar"..."
"Many" isn't "most", though. Most Windows Mobile devices released are QVGA even today. There are obviously several exceptions, but QVGA still dominates. Therefore, it's "normal" and par, not subpar.

Even if you feel the resolution is subpar, does one subpar feature make the entire phone subpar? I don't think so; it's just another tradeoff. Things like a 528 MHz processor, 512 MB Flash, 256 MB RAM, WiFi G and a 3.2 megapixel camera are definitely not subpar in a Windows Mobile phone. Personally, I also think it looks kind of cool.

If somebody wants to be disappointed that the resolution isn't higher, that's fine, but there's no need to exaggerate things by using inaccurate (IMHO) descriptions. If you consider any phone with less than VGA resolution to be subpar, that would include the iPhone, Samsung Omnia, T-Mobile G1, etc.

Steve
__________________
Silicon Valley Pocket PC
http://www.svpocketpc.com

Last edited by Pony99CA; 01-24-2009 at 11:21 PM..
 
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 01-27-2009, 02:24 AM
V-iPAQ
Ponderer
V-iPAQ's Avatar
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 92

the most important question everyone's missed?

does this come with video acceleration Enabled or Disabled?
:O
 
Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 07:34 PM.