First Look: HTC Touch Cruise Pocket PC

Not deterred by the bashing given to the HTC Touch by an AFP reviewer, HTC launched the third member of the HTC Touch Family, the HTC Touch Cruise. With the design of the HTC Touch Cruise, I think HTC has given up trying to replicate the iPhone and just make what they do best: a full-packed Windows Mobile Device.

Design

The HTC Touch Cruise looks more like HTC's traditional Pocket PCs. There's a 2.8 inch TFT LCD touch screen display, a somewhat bigger than usual navigation button and the usual shortcut menus. There's also a regular VGA camera on the front so you can take self-portraits or for video calling.

Features

What I like most about the HTC Touch Cruise is that it stopped being an iPhone wannabe and just decided to be itself: A true smart phone. The HTC Touch Cruise still incorporates the Windows Mobile 6 platform so previous HTC Touch owners will still have the same interface, which means, TouchFLO still can't compare with the iPhone's user interface. However, if you're not really into the iPhone interface then you'll like what the HTC Touch Cruise offers. The HTC Touch Cruise has 3G-HSDPA connectivity so if you're going to use the HTC Touch Cruise with a wireless carrier that supports 3G, it would definitely leave the iPhone in the dust when it comes to download time and web browsing. Aside from 3G/HSDPA connectivity, the HTC Touch Cruise also supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection. And unlike the iPhone which only relies on Google Maps, the HTC Touch Cruise has a built-in GPS receiver and a TomTom navigation software is already included so you can always find directions even if you don't have Internet connection. Another feature on the HTC Touch Cruise that is better than on the iPhone is its 3 mega pixel camera with auto focus which has video recording capabilities, well, come to think of it, any mobile phone with a camera is probably better than the iPhone since the iPhone is the only mobile phone that I know that doesn't support video recording capabilities, I don't know if Apple already addressed this issue through a firmware update.

Other notable features on the HTC Touch Cruise is its built-in FM radio, microSD expansion slot, 256MB ROM and 128MB DDR SDRAM. Though the processor on the HTC Touch Cruise still can't compete with the iPhones (Qualcomm 400 MHz on the HTC Touch Cruise vs. 600 MHz ARM Processor on the iPhone), 400 MHz has become a standard on most Pocket PCs today and it does its job. I just wish that HTC would give more memory to their devices than their standard 128 MB of RAM after all, they have packed all these features on their device but a measly 128MB of memory would prevent users from running different applications and fully enjoying their HTC Touch Cruise.

Final Thoughts

For Pocket PC fans, the HTC Touch Cruise is a welcome addition and upgrade to the HTC Touch family. The HTC Touch Cruise is a truly do-it-all device and can truly be called a smart phone.