How to use the phone without the TRACKPAD?

I have the Torch 9800, so i use touch screen and keyboard.
By leaving out the trackpad, how would the following functions being used:
- While typing, moving the cursor around with enormous precision.
- While browsing, moving the cursor and click on links or edit fields.
- Selecting texts

On a day basis, i use the touchscreen as much as the trackpad. How does RIM think this should work now on BB 10 phones without trackpad?

I also have a tabled, running android. But selecting texts is really bad, using to fat fingers for begin and end. I just can't get used to it.
Luckily i do have a keyboard on the tablet, with arrow keys.

On webOS phones, which only had a touchscreen, you could hold the Option key and the entire touchscreen would act like a trackpad. The cursor would move and you wouldn't be able to activate anything else on the screen until you let go of the Option key. Selecting text was something similar, but I think it was a different key. I'm guessing RIM will implement something similar or it might do an iPhone-esque version where you hold the screen and the mini-magnifying glass pops up to help you navigate the cursor and select text.

Originally Posted by gdanonym

I have the Torch 9800, so i use touch screen and keyboard.
By leaving out the trackpad, how would the following functions being used:
- While typing, moving the cursor around with enormous precision.
- While browsing, moving the cursor and click on links or edit fields.
- Selecting texts

thought i share my part.
as my siggie mentioned, i'm using an unsliding slider. means it's a torch. same as yours, but without....
- trackpad
- end call button
- slider (no slide in or out at all or the phone will go blank).

it happens a while back and i dont intend to send it for repair as its just a couple of months before BB10 release.
as this is a touchscreen phone as well, i managed to find a work around managing my daily life without the basic functions of a BlackBerry.
its easy because its a torch.
if it's a bold2 or curve without touchscreen, you'd be looking for a replacement by now.

it's just a matter of one second touchscreen or double finger flicking to get things done.
easy.

Sent from my unsliding BB slider

it's just a matter of one second touchscreen or double finger flicking to get things done.
easy.

Could you explain this more?

Originally Posted by gdanonym

Could you explain this more?

for example if you are in photo folder, and u wanted to send/cut/copy a picture, u just touch the screen picture for about one second and before you knew it, a menu appear with shortcuts. u click send, and it will give you a choice where to send it.
this is just like press and hold the trackpad but u touch and hold on the screen.

for double finger, u use it to minimize and maximise pictures.
or
to select text. u just put the texts that you wanted to copy between two fingers and it will highlight the texts. and double click on the highlight will give you a few options like cut, copy or paste functions.

since my trackpad and end call button is not useable, u can just workaround and find out the hidden functions that non-touchscreen could enjoy.

Sent from my unsliding BB slider

Originally Posted by jafrul

for example if you are in photo folder, and u wanted to send/cut/copy a picture, u just touch the screen picture for about one second and before you knew it, a menu appear with shortcuts. u click send, and it will give you a choice where to send it.
this is just like press and hold the trackpad but u touch and hold on the screen.

for double finger, u use it to minimize and maximise pictures.
or
to select text. u just put the texts that you wanted to copy between two fingers and it will highlight the texts. and double click on the highlight will give you a few options like cut, copy or paste functions.

since my trackpad and end call button is not useable, u can just workaround and find out the hidden functions that non-touchscreen could enjoy.

Sent from my unsliding BB slider

Thanks. I will try this for a while and see how (easily) it works.
I did the same with the onscreen keyboard for a while. But i know now i want to have a fysical keyboard on my next phone.

Originally Posted by gdanonym

Thanks. I will try this for a while and see how (easily) it works.
I did the same with the onscreen keyboard for a while. But i know now i want to have a fysical keyboard on my next phone.

sure. NO problem.
lucky us who choose torch because even in the worst case scenario like what happened to my stronghold torch, there's always a work around to make something out of nothing.

Sent from my unsliding BB slider

Originally Posted by nathanielonfire

On webOS phones, which only had a touchscreen, you could hold the Option key and the entire touchscreen would act like a trackpad. The cursor would move and you wouldn't be able to activate anything else on the screen until you let go of the Option key. Selecting text was something similar, but I think it was a different key. I'm guessing RIM will implement something similar or it might do an iPhone-esque version where you hold the screen and the mini-magnifying glass pops up to help you navigate the cursor and select text.

I don't see it any other way.

On one of recent videos shows an iOS-like magnifying glass used during editing. I could live with a iOS-like screen navigation, but was hoping for something better.

I will say the only thing that I use my trackpad for (9800) is for precision text selection. The playbook way of doing it is fine I guess, but the trackpad is a lot nicer. I got a BT mouse to go with my PB basically because it was annoying me taking so long to select text.

Honestly, I think RIM has done their due diligence and we won't feel too much like we are missing the physical trackpad. My hope is that we'll be able to invoke a little trackpad area where it feels like it should be just above the keyboard so that we can select text and have a cursor with no major problems, but for those times when we don't need it (most of the time tbh) its not taking up space. It's probably unlikely, but that is what I hope for.

I think the middle point about web browsing will be taken care of by the browser just being radically improved, as well as greater screen real estate. Thing's won't be forced into the often weird mobile view, and the various things that make text boxes, links and drop down menus fiddly to use should mean it won't be a problem to just do it with a finger.

Here is another canundrum. I'm wearing gloves which can't press on the touchscreen because it's capacitive. How do I do anything?
With a trackpad I can actually use the trackpad to move around click on stuff, etc.
And no I will not get special touchscreen gloves. I like the gloves I have! :D

If anyone has been looking at the OS. You can see that the flow "gestures" is what is going to replace the beloved trackpad. The N-Series will be just like the full-touchscreen L-Series just with a hardware keyboard. This is what I can come up with from the what has been released ,thus far, on CB. Com. Remember BB 10 is a whole new OS. "Gestures" is the new BlackBerry way.

I am worried about this too. I pump out alot of emails on my BB 9810 and the trackpad is in constant use as I try to fix spelling, etc and get to a specific letter. I know about the magnifiying glass (I have that on my Android Incredible LTE, but it sucks. Not any kind of real replacement to the trackpad. I really wish they would supercharge the hardware in the BB9810 form factor and put BB10 on it.

Coming from all touch Galaxy devices to the 9810, I can tell you that there is no replacement for the "trackpad". Physically touching the screen is a burden forced upon me not a blessing. I don't want to touch my screen and do a pinch to zoom to select a link or text. My small moves and gentle clicks of my "precious" make this all possible. I like what leejayh said. Give me BB10 on my 9810 for the best of all worlds.

Well considering that RIM decided this the moment they wanted to make a QWERTY Device they probably have figured this out and have made it better for the keyboard users. I'm sure RIM has some tricks up their sleeve or they would Not had taken off the TrackPad at all.

One possibility is that they could have a simulated trackpad in the lower right corner of the screen that appears in any relevant app and operates a cursor. This would still be a compromise since you could not press to select, but far better than trying to fat-finger things.

Have you guys wondered how iOS users never really complain about the lack of a track pad?

It's a touchscreen people. There will be touchscreen commands for all the above mentioned situations. Check Android, iOS or even the PlayBook's Tablet OS and you'll see that those things have long been sorted.

Originally Posted by diegonei

Have you guys wondered how iOS users never really complain about the lack of a track pad?

It's a touchscreen people. There will be touchscreen commands for all the above mentioned situations. Check Android, iOS or even the PlayBook's Tablet OS and you'll see that those things have long been sorted.

I am yet to see a touch device work out scrolling without touching the screen or the use of a bluetooth device. All I am saying is that now I have options: touch, keyboard or trackpad, removing the trackpad removes 33% of those options. For me, I use it more than the other 2 so more like 70%.

IMO, the trackpad is the most efficient way of interacting with newer devices bar none.

Its possible the keypad itself could become a giant touchpad, similar to say sony's PS3 bluetooth keyboard.

The simple fact of the matter is that despite the qwerty keyboard, this phone is still intended to be a touch device first and other than data entry all your interaction is meant to take place via the touchscreen unlike existing 9900 devices where you could pretty much ignore the touchscreen if you wanted to.

BlackBerry 10 devices are all based on gestures, even though it doesnt have a trackpad, you also can use it smoothly.
I think your concerns are how to use the keyboard in BB10 touch screen? don't be nervous ! Trust me,there's nothing to worry about after trying the predictable keyboard through Dev Alpha.

Also a simple fact is that there will be two different versions about BB10, One is full touch screen devices, another is QWERTY one.

Despite the QWERTY keyboard device, it still intended to have a touchscreen.Therefore, like bold9900 ignore it.