A couple of days ago, HTC announced the imminent release of another Windows Mobile device dubbed the “HTC Touch Cruise”. This of course is version 2 of the 2008 released model; the new model comes with in a more compact shape and other interface improvements. Its speciality, however, still lies in being a PDA / GPS device.

With this in mind, the new HTC Touch Cruise is their first device to feature HTC Footprints capability. What is HTC Footprints? It is an application that enables people to permanently chronicle their special moments by capturing a digital postcard on their phone. Once captured, HTC 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.

Sure it’s a logical concept, but I’d be interested to see how many HTC Touch Cruise owners will take advantage of this functionality. It’d be nice if they tied this in with social media apps like Twitter; imagine being able to map a button to do a “one-press” tweet that detailed your geographic location with an accompanying snapshot!

Specifications of the new HTC Touch Cruise:

• 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 TouchFLOâ„¢, 4-Way navigation wheel with Enter and HTC Footprintsâ„¢ buttons
• Camera: 3.2 MP, with fixed focus
• Internal memory: 512 MB flash ROM, 256 MB RAM
• Expansion Slot: microSDâ„¢ 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® MSM7225â„¢, 528 MHz

Not a bad spec sheet. I especially like the 3.2 MegaPixel camera, microSD memory card expandability, 528MHz processor and the >900mAh battery (HTC Touch Diamond).

Looks like it’ll be available before June 2009. For Australia, no clear details as of yet. Will post when I hear something.

HTC Website : HTC Touch Cruise

If you’re interested in our HTC Touch Cruise Leather Case which you can use when traveling with your handset, then perhaps you’d also like to take a look at our HTC Touch Cruise Cradle. This accessory, unlike the leather case, is meant for the home, making it perfect for homebodies with a predilection for gadgetry.

continue reading "Mr. Gadget Australia’s HTC Touch Cruise Cradle"

Looking for a leather case to protect your HTC Touch Cruise? Well look no further! Our HTC Touch Cruise Leather Case will save your gadget from the elements! Will be on our shelves in the next couple of weeks so feel free to pre-order.

Mr.Gadget HTC Touch Cruise Leather Case (Book Type) @ Mr.Gadget Australia.

Yes, you saw right, if all goes well and there aren’t any major catastrophes, the HTC Cruise will at last reach Australian shores ready for sale in 2-3 weeks.

To whet your appetite check out the following HTC Touch Cruise Youtube Video Review:

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTOEzYDGYFI]

I know of one particular guy in our office who is very keen to spend his hard-earned mula on one of these shiny gadgets…hello David!

Order your HTC Touch Cruise PDA @ Mr.Gadget Australia

Looks like the newly released HTC Touch Cruise is making waves in Europe. Steve from Tracy and Matt’s Blog had some good things to say about it. See the whole HTC Touch Cruise Review here.

This is Steve’s conclusion of the HTC Touch Cruise Review:

The obvious comparison for me is my old faithful XDA Orbit, and although dimensionally they are near identical at 110mmx58mm and the Touch Cruise being approximately 1mm thinner, the TC oddly looks and feels smaller, perhaps it is because of the weight difference and also that flat front screen.

Matt was completely correct when he mentioned that the screen would be a fingerprint magnet and as also mentioned is liable to scratching quite easily without some kind of protection. We will have to watch and see if this is a common problem, and when the cost of the unit to take into consideration scratching the front would prove expensive.

Is it a reasonable upgrade to the P3300 Athemis, most definitely, the added G3, faster overall performance, and in my opinion as nice looking as an other models on the market, the only real barrier is finding one and at a good price!

We’ve got word that the HTC Touch Cruise will be landing in Australia in around April mid-late February. Our very own David is getting ready to write some reviews of his own!

Check out our current HTC range here.

Not sure if this was named after Tom Cruise and than rather enter into an argument on whether or not Tom Cruise is actually cool, I’d rather talk about technology…like the HTC Cruise.
This has gotta be on of the hottest upcoming PocketPCs in Australia.

Scope out the features below and you’ll see why.
[photopress:htc_touch_cruise.jpg,full,centered]

Features of the HTC Cruise:

We’ll keep you posted about when it finally lands