HTC seems to be launching touchscreen smartphones as if there is a worldwide shortage of buttons.

What makes the phones interesting is not just their design but also the unique features that can make pleasant many tedious processes.

However, as touchscreen phone makers find their feet in this market, drawbacks are inevitable.

This Touch Cruise is an updated version of an earlier model that was released last year.

This version has a few extra features more than its predecessor such as the GPS footprint (which we will discuss later) and an updated firmware.

This particular model has a simple yet elegant design. It has five buttons on the front panel plus a volume control and screen saver on the side and top respectively.

The size of the screen is a little smaller than most smartphones as it is only 2.8in. Also, this model comes with a navigation wheel and a stylus.

Personally, I prefer my phones to be a little heftier and not be too slim which makes this model ideal for my palm.

The back cover is plastic fused with rubber that adds protection and has a good feel to it too.

Interesting interface

Once you turn on the phone, you know you are in for a Windows Mobile experience.

For many of my friends, Windows Mobile is the Mecca of all operating systems. Some, however, find Microsoft’s operating system unnecessarily complex.

I found that there is certainly merit to both. First of all, what I really like about this model is the screen that appears when you turn off the screen saver/lock function.

It is not the main screen but it has everything you may need when you unlock your phone.

There is the time, displayed in large prominent numbers, the date and a calendar.

Most importantly, there are icons for new text message, e-mail, and missed calls.

All of these icons are located in the most convenient place possible especially if you are using the phone for professional purposes.

Once you get beyond that screen, that is when you really need to start concentrating.

I am not a big fan of threaded SMS which displays text messages as a single conversation instead of separating them by individual messages.

However, the text messaging on this model was particularly difficult.

When you click into a conversation to reply, for some reason you are brought in somewhere in the middle of it and you have to scroll down to get to the most recent message.

That is an avoidable hassle you simply do not need.

Having said that, once I start tapping out messages with the stylus, I was quite impressed how smooth the virtual keypad was and I had very few instances of hitting the wrong key.

Getting connected

For some strange reason, the Touch Cruise doesn’t prompt you before connecting to the Internet like other phones.

Either you let it connect automatically (not a good idea) or you go through a very complicated process of turning it off (and ultimately back on) manually.

Again, this could have been easily remedied.

The phone has a very fast processor and given this, it executes its functions and applications very effectively.

This phone can support many easily accessible applications that are both useful and quirky.

This includes a Microsoft Word Mobile for writing documents on the go which can be uploaded to a PC later.

Also, your favourite contacts can be placed on the front screen along with the weather, your day plan, alarms and reminders. This is highly useful for the urban professional.

The camera is standard for a phone in this price range but I was disappointed that this model did not have a side camera button to take landscape pictures more easily.

To be fair, it does have a very large button which you can push with your thumb when taking landscape pictures.

The GPS footprint feature is an interesting one. It allows you to map out your favourite locations and take pictures to sort of bookmark the visual landscape around that area or keep it as a postcard memento.

It is quite a fun feature to have, especially if you travel a lot.

Getting a signal is not always easy and for some strange reason the map tells you that I’m in a small town in eastern Poland when the signal is not found.

As for playing music, the speakers are not top quality and I would not consider this it to be a music phone.

The bass is just not good enough and I would not dream of replacing my MP3 player with it.

Conclusion

This phone is designed for professionals, as all the necessities are at your fingertips (or the stylus tip) and you can plan your day and set alarms/reminders with ease.

However, many a time it is just overly complicated and makes you appreciate the simplicity in other phones.

All in all, an elegant, practical and somewhat affordable smartphone that can be a little frustrating at times.

Pros: Relatively cheap; nice design; fast processor.

Cons: Some functions too complicated; unimpressive speakers.

HTC Touch Cruise 09 Specificationbs:
3G smartphone
Processor: Qualcomm MSM7225 528MHz
Camera: 3.2 megapixels
Operating system: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional edition
Display: 2.8in (240 x 320 pixels)
Messaging: MMS, SMS, e-mail
Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, GPRS, HSDPA, WiFi
Phone memory: 512MB TOM, 256MB RAM
Expansion slot: MicroSD
Battery: 1,350mAh lithium-ion
Standby/talk time: 330 hours/400 minutes
Other features: GPS
Weight: 103g
Dimensions (W x D x H): 53.5 x 14.5 x 102mm
Price: RM2,199
Review unit courtesy of Microsoft Malaysia, 1800 88 6295

• Tags : HTC Touch Cruise 09