HTC Reveals Touch Cruise with Footprints

Today HTC unveiled a new version of its GPS-centric Touch Cruise smartphone with a thinner design and new HTC Footprints software. Footprints builds on the concept of geotagging by making it possible for you to take notes and record audio clips that can be bundled into a digital postcard on your phone. This digital postcard includes your personal thoughts along with a picture and GPS location data. In addition to bundling images with useful information, Footprints can automatically name your postcards using location information.

Utilizing Footprints, you can easily retrace your steps to a specific location by simply flipping through your photos. Although we’re not exactly sure how it works, Footprints also claims to work indoors where you might not be able to get a GPS signal—unlike other devices that have geotagging functionality and only work outside.

As with other Touch Cruise models, this phone doubles as a navigation system thanks to the phone’s built-in GPS and a-GPS. When the phone is placed in the accompanying cradle, it automatically launches into a navigation mode that provides an easy-to-use interface and turn-by-turn directions.

This new smartphone runs Windows Mobile 6.1 and sports the TouchFLO user interface, giving you easy access to phone, contacts, email, messaging, calendar, and GPS applications. Underneath the covers, the new Touch Cruise has a quad-band GSM/EDGE radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, and a 3.2MP camera. To store your photos and other important files, there’s a microSD memory card slot. The phone has a 2.8-inch display with QVGA resolution.

Look for the Touch Cruise in all major global markets sometime this spring. Many sites are reporting an unlocked 850/1900 MHz HSDPA 7.2Mbps variant for North America, which is expected to run between $500 and $600.

Key HTC Touch Cruise Specifications