HTC Touch Cruise 09 Comprehensive Review of Specs Prices Pros & Cons

HTC Touch Cruise 09 Overview

The HTC Touch Cruise 09, released in early 2009, was a notable entry in the realm of PDAs and smartphones, distinguished by its integration of GPS capabilities and focused navigation features. This device was part of HTC's lineup that targeted users seeking a combination of PDA functionality with mobile phone capabilities.

Design and Build

The HTC Touch Cruise 09 has a sleek and compact form factor, measuring 102 x 53.5 x 14.5 mm and weighing only 103 grams. The device is designed to be portable and easy to handle, with a straightforward black exterior. Its compact size and lightweight design make it ideal for users who prefer a phone that is easy to carry and handle.

Display

This smartphone comes with a 2.8-inch TFT resistive touchscreen with a relatively modest resolution of 240 x 320 pixels, resulting in a pixel density of approximately 143 ppi. Although the display might not have been cutting-edge even at the time, it was adequate for everyday tasks, such as browsing and basic navigation.

Performance

The Touch Cruise 09 is powered by a Qualcomm MSM7225 Snapdragon S1 chipset, with a 528 MHz ARM 11 CPU. While modest, this hardware setup was sufficient to run the Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional operating system. The device lacked a dedicated GPU, making it less suitable for gaming or graphically intensive applications.

Memory and Storage

This device features 256MB RAM and 512MB ROM, with a microSD slot for memory expansion. The storage capacity is scant by today's standards, but at the time it sufficed for managing essential data and applications. The inclusion of a microSD slot allowed users to expand storage to accommodate music, photos, and additional software.

Camera

Equipped with a 3.15 MP camera, the HTC Touch Cruise 09 offered basic photography and video functions. Though not designed as a camera-centric phone, it allowed users to capture simple images and videos. The lack of a front-facing camera meant that video calls were not a feature.

Connectivity

The device supported GSM and HSPA networks, ensuring decent connectivity across various regions. It offered Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP for wireless connections, and GPS with A-GPS for navigation purposes. Notably, it did not feature a radio or a 3.5mm headphone jack, relying instead on its miniUSB 2.0 port for wired audio output.

Battery Life

The removable Li-Ion 1100 mAh battery provided a reasonable lifespan for the device, with up to 400 hours of standby time and approximately 6.5 hours of talk time. This battery performance was satisfactory for daily use, catering to calls, messaging, and occasional navigation and media consumption.

Software and Interface

Running on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the HTC Touch Cruise 09 offered a suite of productivity applications, including email, calendar, and task management features. The interface included touch navigation, albeit limited by the resistive touch technology, which was not as responsive as capacitive screens that became standard later.

Navigation and Additional Features

The device was geared towards those requiring navigation tools, with GPS and A-GPS support as standout features. However, it lacked advanced sensors like accelerometers or gyroscopes, which are common in modern smartphones. Its browser, PocketIE, supported WAP 2.0/xHTML and HTML, offering basic internet browsing capabilities.

Market Position and Legacy

Priced at around 150 EUR upon release, the HTC Touch Cruise 09 was positioned as an affordable yet feature-rich option for users needing a PDA with phone capabilities. Although it has since been discontinued, it provided a glimpse into the convergence of communication devices with navigation and productivity tools at the time.