[ragdeiii]

What were the primary reasons for eliminating the trackpad on the N series? Hope it wasn't just for more space. Will its many uses be incorporated in the BB 10 system?

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

[Ben1232]

Watch the BB10 videos on youtibe. I disliked it at first but now see what they've done.

[Masahiro]

Unfortunately it's something we'll have to learn to live with unless we plan on living with our current BlackBerrys for the next while. I agree with Ben1232 though. You'll see that RIM has tried to make the UI as "one-thumb friendly" as possible, which was what a trackpad was great for.

[southlander]

The trackpad is the only thing not easy to replace with a virtual control.. on the whole row. Yet it has to go to make the screen taller. You can bet RIM would not ditch one of their iconic hardware features without providing something we'll like. Though yes they've made some mistakes in their time. Never say never I guess.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9930 using Tapatalk

[crackcookie]

A larger, more clear screen allows for better touch gestures and control. Most people who use an Android with large screens don't need a trackpad simply because their screen size is large enough that they don't have to double click to enlarge or anything of the like

[DocDRM]

This is gonna be a tough give up for me - but not just the track pad.

For me, it's the one-two punch of the trackpad/BB button combo -they make so many things so fast and easy. Especially with the apps that add shortcuts / always there menu items, custom menus in their apps, etc. I hope RIM gets this right - there are so many examples that I am accustomed to, I can't even list them - they are such a natural part of the experience.

[Taigatrommel]

There has been word from developers who are glad the trackpad is gone. They said a couple of times the trackpad ain't easy to develop for, hence the missing trackpads eliminates quite some additional work they have to do to create new applications.

While I am also really skeptical about the TP loss, I understand more and more why RIM decided to ditch it. While OS 7.x still is completely designed to control and navigate with the pad, BB10 is a complete different story. I can't see any benefits, in terms of control and navigation, if we'd had the TP in the next generation OS. Just think about the many gestures, which are completely touch-dependent. The complete opposite compared to the "click" and "up/down/left/right" system the current OS generation uses.

Which leaves the trackpad as a precision tool. Selecting text, marking text as well as of course selecting special characters with our keyboard. We'll also lose cursor ability within the browser, which could be handy for a few websites designed for cursor navigation. All that stuff is hard to replace and I am really wondering if RIM manages to achieve a satisfying replacement. Especially on the QWERTY device. How will we be able to (quickly) select special characters in the future, especially vital for quite some non-english languages?

[CrackedBarry]

Until not so long ago, HTC included a little trackpad kinda thing on their Android phones and I loved it. The trend in cellphone design is moving towards clean, button less slates however, which is why both HTC and RIM are getting rid of it, I presume.
(I can't imagine any technical reason)

In both a cases however, it's an awful reason. There is nothing wrong with buttons as long as they have a purpose and are well thought out (even Apple aren't getting rid of their home button) and it seems that RIM (and HTC I guess) are both going too far with a particular design trait for no other reason than "It's what Apple/everybody else does!".

It's a darn shame, and unfortunately writing them about it won't make them change their minds, though it certainly can't hurt.

Cause a trackpad IS a great feature, and a touchscreen can't fully replace it for precision control. Imagine you're on a web page with tiiiny buttons. On a 720p screen it's much too small to touch with a finger, so you're forced to zoom in, press the button, and then zoom out. A waste of time compared to a trackpad where you just slide in whatever direction and press.

[CrackedBarry]

And yes, I've tried virtual control buttons (arrows) on my HTC One X and its NOT the same. Not even close. Also takes up valuable space on the keyboard, it's an awful alternative.

[barbarianthemadserb]

I think that eliminating the trackpad is gonna be a deal breaker for me!

[Plazmic Flame]

The trackpad on a Blackberry is the fastest way to select text and move the cursor around when typing. Either BB10 is going to have the most precise text selection software or this is going to be a big mistake. I'm really hoping it's the former because I'm looking forward to getting a N-Series device.

[2wheeltim]

This concerns me as well as the elimination of a home or back button. Watching the 'flow' videos, I realize their plan, but I know how that would go for me. There were a few instances in Kevin's video where he's multiple layers into menus, and the way back is to swipe 3 or 4 times. Well that's fine until you select instead of swipe. Happens to me all the time. I fear it would take me 20 swipe attempts to get out of the menus. A track pad, home button and back button should stay in my opinion.

[kazakoshi]

I am sad to lose track pad. Even when I was using Torch, I was constantly using track pad. It's great for one hand operation. And BB button too for all those quick access to commands. But I guess it is so called old style, we have to move on to all touch....

[qbnkelt]

I am VERY sad to see the trackpad go. I guess it's natural progression....trackwheel, trackball, trackpad, on-screen navigation. But I hate to see it go.
And the phone looks unfinished without it. I may end up going touchscreen OR buy new 9900s to see me through.
I wish they hadn't removed the trackpad.



Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

[anon(3249139)]

Text Selection stuff that was found a while back.

http://forums.crackberry.com/attachm...g_00000098.jpg

http://forums.crackberry.com/attachm...g_00000099.jpg

http://forums.crackberry.com/attachm...g_00000100.jpg

http://forums.crackberry.com/attachm...g_00000101.jpg

http://forums.crackberry.com/attachm...g_00000102.jpg

http://forums.crackberry.com/attachm...g_00000103.jpg

[AWK47]

As other posters have commented on, i think the elimination of the trackpad was done so that there are less buttons, and less parts to break.

If it increases reliability and customer experience then I am all for the change. More people loving their blackberries can only be a good thing.

[axllebeer]

I have only seen a broken trackpad once. And that was due to major abuse. From what I can tell you either get a good one or a bad one. I'm also sad to see it go and as far as app development being difficult with a trackpad, although I'm not a dev, why can't you just have it do nothing. There are game on my 9930 that don't use the trackpad at all. That seems like a non issue to me. But native apps like the browser and Docs to Go could really be a better experience with the trackpad.

[sleepngbear]

A larger, more clear screen allows for better touch gestures and control. Most people who use an Android with large screens don't need a trackpad simply because their screen size is large enough that they don't have to double click to enlarge or anything of the like

I have to respectfully disagree. I've had the PlayBook since it's release, and I absolutely hate manipulating text on it. It's almost four times larger than most touch screen phone displays, yet pinpointing blocks of text for editing/cutting/pasting is still just painful. I've messed with my wife's iPhone, and Apple sure doesn't have a better solution, either. I'm sure it will sound petty to some, but it's important enough to me that if there isn't a suitable trackpad replacement on the BB10 QWERTY phones, I'll have no problem sticking with BB7.1 and my trusty 9900.

[jegs2]

I too will happily stick with my 9930 until it breaks if there is no viable alternative to my trusty trackpad on the N-series.

[axllebeer]

I have to respectfully disagree. I've had the PlayBook since it's release, and I absolutely hate manipulating text on it. It's almost four times larger than most touch screen phone displays, yet pinpointing blocks of text for editing/cutting/pasting is still just painful. I've messed with my wife's iPhone, and Apple sure doesn't have a better solution, either. I'm sure it will sound petty to some, but it's important enough to me that if there isn't a suitable trackpad replacement on the BB10 QWERTY phones, I'll have no problem sticking with BB7.1 and my trusty 9900.

I do indeed agree here. Cut, copy, and paste is irritation on a touchscreen without the trackpad. And there is a point that even with a larger screen to make it "easier" makes it more difficult for that almighty "one handed ease of use" for everything else. No device is perfect and whatever they gear a device towards end up lacking features that can be found to work better on another.

[berriac]

I have to respectfully disagree. I've had the PlayBook since it's release, and I absolutely hate manipulating text on it. It's almost four times larger than most touch screen phone displays, yet pinpointing blocks of text for editing/cutting/pasting is still just painful. I've messed with my wife's iPhone, and Apple sure doesn't have a better solution, either. I'm sure it will sound petty to some, but it's important enough to me that if there isn't a suitable trackpad replacement on the BB10 QWERTY phones, I'll have no problem sticking with BB7.1 and my trusty 9900.

I might do the same......BB7.1 on 9900 works fine for me. I doubt if any software can replace the easiness of using trackpad and the surrounding keys. if not satisfied with the new BB10 devices, I might go back to 9900

[RJB55]

As a trackpad user 99% + of the time it's going to be tough sledding without it on BB10. I'm just hoping I can adapt quickly or I'm gonna be one sad puppy.

[nneal]

i personally love how it looks, and i cant wait to try it out. i think it will be more direct, it seems like you will be more connected and involved with it just by taking it away and forcing you be more in touch with the screen and the device.

[sleepngbear]

i personally love how it looks, and i cant wait to try it out. i think it will be more direct, it seems like you will be more connected and involved with it just by taking it away and forcing you be more in touch with the screen and the device.

Oh, I like how they look, too. As far as utility, it all depends on what you're doing with it. For menus and navigation and stuff like that, I use both touch screen and trackpad, but I could easily just use the touch screen. But if you do a lot of typing, like emails more than just a few lines long -- which I do a fair amount of -- you inevitably need to move, copy or delete blocks of text; and for that, the touch screen just doesn't cut it for me. Not so far, anyway. Maybe BB10 will have some better intelligence built in to be more precise. The PlayBook does locate breaks in text very well, but it's terribly imprecise at locating the right text, and then then moving those little pointer tabs around to exactly where I want. Between that and the bizarro word substitution, I find typing anything on the PlayBook an extremely frustrating exercise. And looking at the garbage texts I get from friends with iPhones, they aren't any better. That is probably THE biggest reason I prefer my BB with keyboard and archaic trackpad over anything else.

[cbvinh]

I agree with the other posters regarding the precision you get with the trackpad. It's so much easier and on the spot. Without it, it's zoom, zoom, zoom and select... then zoom, zoom, zoom back out.