[hdizzle]

Interesting article talks about this very issue we're discussing:

"People like having their finger on that screen and manipulating it. But this takes nothing away from using the trackpad," Carlo Chiarello, RIM's VP of GSM/UMTS Business Unit, told TechRadar in an interview.

"We tested a bunch of designs that got rid of the trackpad… and it wasn't the same," he continued.

"If you're coming from a keyboard environment on a BlackBerry, it's almost a little bit of a safety net for you."

[papped]

Doesn't make sense to get rid of it anyways. One of the nice features of the torch is scrolling with the trackpad while selecting with the touchscreen.

[NJFP]

I think the actual one looks good but that middle mock up looks fantastic.

Same-same. Best of both worlds. Now, does RIM actually watch these forums like other manufacturers watch forums concerning their brands? I would love to see them do something like the middle phone.

[donnation]

I love the one with the bigger screen. Nice job!

[cheech73]

now if only it was as wide as the 9650 or 9700 series then i would be in heaven...

[tedzone]

This is just my opinion, so bear with me.

Personally I think that there is no need for the buttons at the top. If the touchscreen is bigger then there is no need for the trackpad. The answer and decline buttons are also not so important, this is proved by the fact other touchscreen centred smartphones survive just fine without them. This leaves the BB and escape button which would be unneeded if the software was improved.
What this means is that a bigger touchscreen can be introduced, with the most important buttons, the keyboard. Remember, the presence of the keyboard means shortcuts can be created, making this design feasible from a practical point of view.

Alternatively, even if the buttons are all kept a bigger screen can be installed by pulling the keyboard down and pushing the earpiece up.

Here is a quick design I did by modifying the Bold touch:



What are your thoughts?

I like your middle one best.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[ADGrant]

Sorry but for me the phone buttons are one of the best BB features.

[zurch]

I like the middle one but the default will do. I'm picking this one up day one ..I had the storms and the tour and the 9650 and I do miss blackberry and this one seems to have the best of both worlds with a really fast processor and a improved O.S. and with the addition of tablets and such ..a small phone that can do all this seems to apeal to me more now than a huge Droid .seems like best of everything if u have the right combo..hopefully in the future when pb gets all their crap straight it will he great but for now I'm using a ipad2 but a pb with all their apps and android apps wow that seems like a powerful combo.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

[elgolfman]

Middle one for me...

[jenks5150]

i said it before and i say it again, i love the phone but there is wasted space, under the keyboard there so much reals estate u can lower it and make screen bigger. same goes on top of screen you can raise it a tiny bit. what does it have a 2.8 inch screen now, i believe it can easily be at least 3 with out loosing any of the buttons. now who wouldn't LOVE a bold touch with a 3 inch screen?

You guys do realize that it's not as simple as "moving the keyboard down" or "moving the earpiece up" - there is a lot more to the design of the phone than what is on the outside. The components are placed where they are for very specific reasons, mainly working around the antenna system, chipset, other internals etc. I'm sure if you told Mike L "you should've moved the ear piece right to the top and the keyboard right to the bottom" he wouldn't even give you the time of day...

[cheech73]

You guys do realize that it's not as simple as "moving the keyboard down" or "moving the earpiece up" - there is a lot more to the design of the phone than what is on the outside. The components are placed where they are for very specific reasons, mainly working around the antenna system, chipset, other internals etc. I'm sure if you told Mike L "you should've moved the ear piece right to the top and the keyboard right to the bottom" he wouldn't even give you the time of day...

i agree with your statement 100% but why couldn't they use a touch screen on the current bold line? compared to the 9000 the 9700 is much smaller with the same size screen. i would rather see the 9700 bold size in a touch screen. IMO the bold touch for me is just to big of a phone, grant it when it comes out i will play with it and maybe even buy it. But i seen and touched and played with the 9000 and i think the current bold are so much nicer.

[elgolfman]

We are all going to love this handset given what we are all using now... Old 9000s, 9650s and 9700s, etc.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[Skeevecr]

i agree with your statement 100% but why couldn't they use a touch screen on the current bold line? compared to the 9000 the 9700 is much smaller with the same size screen. i would rather see the 9700 bold size in a touch screen. IMO the bold touch for me is just to big of a phone, grant it when it comes out i will play with it and maybe even buy it. But i seen and touched and played with the 9000 and i think the current bold are so much nicer.

It makes sense for them to return to a bold design that allows them to fit in a larger touchscreen, especially since it has been a while since the first 9000, but who knows what else we will get from rim further down the line.

Maybe there will be an update to the 9700 series to include a touchscreen too as they are going to be well aware that there are fans of that particular format and not just the bold in general, although you do have to wonder if the 9900 is about the smallest size right now where they could fit in a 640x480 screen meaning that any 9700 touch might drop back down to 480x360 instead.

[Skeevecr]

"People like having their finger on that screen and manipulating it. But this takes nothing away from using the trackpad," Carlo Chiarello, RIM's VP of GSM/UMTS Business Unit, told TechRadar in an interview.

"We tested a bunch of designs that got rid of the trackpad� and it wasn't the same," he continued.

"If you're coming from a keyboard environment on a BlackBerry, it's almost a little bit of a safety net for you."

It isn't even about being a safety net, it is down to simple efficiency, while you have the physical keyboard it is just easier to move your thumb slightly onto the trackpad than reaching all the way up the screen.

[Skeevecr]

Yeah Moto probably thought they could use the Droid Pro to grab a lot of BB users, riding the Android momentum and copying the design. Does not seem to have worked out for them though, gladly.

You see similar things with other companies too, they seem to think that all rim have done is slap a qwerty keyboard below the screen and it is done, when quite clearly there is more to it than that as shown by the horrible designs most of them have turned out in response.

[Pearl9100]

I think it looks ugly without the buttons. I also know that I love the buttons on my bb and the trackpad. So I'd prefer to have them.

to me, a traditional blackberry without a trackpad looks like a person without a nose. but, it would be cool if they made the screen a lil bit bigger. but if they did that, then it would encroach on torch size, and thats something i dont think they want to do. all in all, its going to be a great device.

[sleepngbear]

Only problem with pushing the keyboard down for a larger display area is you're sacrificing the comfort of the typing position. I can tell you from experience with the Torch that losing the 'chin' makes typing a lot less comfortable; and face it, typing is the reason why we prefer this form factor. And I for one don't want to lose the hard buttons, either - especially the trackpad; take them off the hardware, they're going to have to end up somewhere on the touch screen, so you're really not gaining anything. I'm liking this thing exactly as it is.

[jmbel13]

On this past March 24th my second child was born and I was a bit bored at the hospital for 3 days so I drew a little. One of my drawings was what I would have liked this bold to be like. Note that I'm no artist nor do I know how to sketch but you get the idea...picture attached[/B]

[Skeevecr]

On this past March 24th my second child was born and I was a bit bored at the hospital for 3 days so I drew a little. One of my drawings was what I would have liked this bold to be like. Note that I'm no artist nor do I know how to sketch but you get the idea...picture attached[/B]

It's available now, it is called the droid pro and it is a fairly horrible and uncomfortable phone.

[sleepngbear]

On this past March 24th my second child was born and I was a bit bored at the hospital for 3 days so I drew a little. One of my drawings was what I would have liked this bold to be like. Note that I'm no artist nor do I know how to sketch but you get the idea...picture attached[/B]

It's available now, it is called the droid pro and it is a fairly horrible and uncomfortable phone.

Yeah, as I noted earlier, the keys that close to the bottom of the phone will make for some awkward thumb-typing. I pick up my old 9000 ever once in awhile, especially since the 9900 was announced, and I'm instantly reminded how amazingly comfortable that keyboard is, and that's due in no small part to the size and location of the keys.

But that is a really nice sketch!

It's available now, it is called the droid pro and it is a fairly horrible and uncomfortable phone.

Kind of amazing how two devices of basically the same form factor can vary so greatly in comfort.

[elgolfman]

Amen on the 9000 keyboard.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[jonahz]

I personally wouldn't move the keyboard down, and prefer the anticipated release design. By moving it down, it would make the phone "unbalanced" in your finger tips and would be harder to type on.

[Masahiro]

Doesn't make sense to get rid of it anyways. One of the nice features of the torch is scrolling with the trackpad while selecting with the touchscreen.

That's funny. I scroll with the touchscreen and select with the trackpad. ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES!

[anon(2947110)]

i like the middle picture & thats how i was hoping RIM would make it look like, but id settle for the default.

[Epic800_CB]

I like it the way it is.