HTC Touch Cruise - First Look

HTC Touch Cruise - First Look


The HTC Touch's claim to fame is its heavily modified WM (Windows Mobile) interface which makes it more convenient to get basic tasks done. The original Touch has been a hit so far, thanks to its great design and low price, and we won't be surprised if HTC replicates that success in the Touch Dual as well. The third and latest of the series is the Touch Cruise, a handheld which doesn't leave out any connectivity features--a niggling complaint we had when reviewing the first two in the range.

Pros



We lamented that the HTC Touch had no 3G, and on the Touch Dual, no Wi-Fi. There's nothing to gripe about now with the Cruise, which come with both of those connectivity options as well as built-in GPS. This puts it on par with the HTC TyTN II, with tech specs that are almost exactly the same since they both use the new 400MHz Qualcomm MSM7200 processor.

Like the earlier models, the Touch Cruise's LCD is flush with the surrounding bezel. This is essential for the Touch interface to be implemented as that will sometimes require the user to swipe the surface starting from beyond the display. As we have noted in the review of the Touch Dual, this interface greatly improves the usability of WM6 because of the enhancements made to it since the first version.

The last keypad-less PDA-phone with a similar feature set from HTC was the P3600i. That model had dimensions of 108 x 58.2 x 18.4mm, while the Touch Cruise measures in at 110 x 58 x 15.5mm. So, even though it doesn't look quite so compact in the photo, the Cruise has almost the same footprint as the P3600i and is significantly slimmer. For that reason alone, we won't be surprised if some users ditch the Dopod D810 or HTC P3600i for this model when it becomes commercially available. What's more, the Cruise will come with the Touch interface and 128MB RAM features not available on those two earlier models.

Cons



Like most of the other HTC models currently on sale now, the Cruise comes with a QVGA display. It would have been great if it came with a VGA one instead as that would certainly improve the viewing experience.

Though slimmer than most other devices with its capabilities, it's worth mentioning that the Cruise is neither as attractive nor as compact as the two earlier Touch devices. This is a likely a necessary tradeoff for its many features not found in the other two.

Bottomline



On paper, there's a lot to like about the Touch Cruise. Except for a physical keypad and a higher-resolution display, it comes with all the features you'll want in a WM6 PDA-phone. The image here shows that it is silver and black in color, but according to HTC, the version that is sold in this region may be completely black instead. The company also said it will likely be available in Asia starting next year, but could not be more specific. Pricing was also unconfirmed.