[hdizzle]

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?

[MissJennell#IM]

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.

[weaselnoze]

its ok but i prefer to have the trackpad for precision moves. also i rely heavily on the menu key as most do. if you remove the keys and the trackpad it becomes less blackberry and more something else.

[hdizzle]

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.

Fair point.

Also on my 'design' I pulled the keyboard down, to make more space for the screen. If RIM could have done that, and pushed the earpiece up, they could have had a bigger screen installed

[cheech73]

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?

[dooodads]

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

[ragingklu]

I wouldn't give up the trackpad. I think maybe they didn't want to expand the screen in only one direction (vertically) due to the fact that this would cause an odd AR?

[LeMarc]

I think that extra space under the keyboard is for extra hardware, since it's thinner, or for a more comfortable feeling.

Still, I think that the little extra doesn't matter.

[southlander]

Losing the buttons, I'd not be opposed to if the screen layout/flow was done very well. I want a track-pad though. Touchscreens are simply not that precise and can be very frustrating to use at times, especially in the web browser. Heck I'd even like the PlayBook to have a little track-pad somewhere along its bottom bezel.

[Deathcommand]

Middle will make the phone topheavy.

just want to point that out.

[mthomps07]

Great mockups. I totally understand what you mean with the redesign points.

But at the same time the trackpad is necessary to maintain the ease of one-handed use, text selection, etc. It's a big part about the functionality of the design. Touch screen for icon selection, pinch to zoom, flipping through pics, etc., trackpad for selecting very small, precise things and the ability to navigate easily one handed.

The middle design would appear to be perfect, but in practice that may make for a very unbalanced device to use. The 9000's size is not the only thing that made it a wonder to type on. The overall balance of the device plays heavily into the usability. For example, on the middle mockup I could see someone dropping the phone if typing quickly and moving down to hit the shift or space key on the very edge of the phone with the taller screen part weighing down the top.

Nonetheless, awesome looking renderings.

[anon(19759)]

As a Droid Pro user, I can say the physical home row keys on a BB are very useful. I definitely miss them. Keep in mind that they can't just shift stuff around to make the screen bigger and lower the keyboard on the frame. They cram so many electronics in a smartphone, I'm sure design has much to do with fitting everything in. Remember that this phone now has dual radios for gsm and cdma, a nfc chip and magnetometer. I'm amazed they could actually fit everything in there. Once this is released and that teardown company does their thing, we'll have a good idea as to what's occupying that space below the keyboard and around the screen.

[sivan]

RIM actually took a step back by making the function keys a single strip. I use the gaps between the keys when I can't look at the device.

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[Skeevecr]

I think the one without the trackpad would be horrible since it would force you to use the touchscreen to navigate when it wouldn't otherwise be needed.

The middle one is alright, but it is easy to do a mockup since those don't have to actually be comfortable and balanced in real life, whereas the actual device does.

[belfastdispatcher]

So you redesign it in 3 different ways? Can't please everyone you know, everything is a compromise and the 9900 is a good one.

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[Bonnie Bonzai]

I like the middle version and couldn't the device be rebalanced to adjust for the larger screen? I would love to see the Alt key moved to the right side of the keyboard.

[mountainman]

I'm sure there is "wasted space" for a reason. The form factor is something RIM gets right. Ever used a Droid Pro? It is funky to say the least.

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[cheech73]

the middle device is exactly what i pictured and it looks awesome.

[papped]

Not having a trackpad at all on a 2.8"-3" screen probably isn't a very good idea...

[data77]

Not having a trackpad at all on a 2.8"-3" screen probably isn't a very good idea...

Papped, are you thinking of coming back to Bold touch from Thunderbolt?

Personally can't wait for the Bold touch to arrive.

[[email protected]]

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?

Go try the Droid Pro and you'll completely understand the chin and how critical it is to have. I know that they've utilized that space for hardware...no question.....and could they stretch the phone a little here and there? Sure.....but then you run into the actual measurements of the display and how that would look with apps that already exist.....your ratios would be all off.

I thought that as well (what you thought) but I see why they did what they did. I would like to see the send/end/menu/back keys all reduced in height.....that would give you some additional real estate.....then barely tweak the overall height of the device just a tad, then you have a 3.0" display....but again, your resolution and ratios will then be off.

Or you have black bars like a TV when watching a widescreen video.

[papped]

Considering it. Either ill get the bold touch or wait for QNX, not sure which yet...

[cheech73]

Go try the Droid Pro and you'll completely understand the chin and how critical it is to have. I know that they've utilized that space for hardware...no question.....and could they stretch the phone a little here and there? Sure.....but then you run into the actual measurements of the display and how that would look with apps that already exist.....your ratios would be all off.

I thought that as well (what you thought) but I see why they did what they did. I would like to see the send/end/menu/back keys all reduced in height.....that would give you some additional real estate.....then barely tweak the overall height of the device just a tad, then you have a 3.0" display....but again, your resolution and ratios will then be off.

Or you have black bars like a TV when watching a widescreen video.

I'm sure RIM had guys thinking about how to design phones. BUT i can only wish...

PS. i did see try out the droid pro and i like it but i like the balance of the blackberry better. if the droid pro had some sort of trackpad then it is definitely a phone i would consider... but anywho what ever new blackberry Sprint gets is what i will get, if its the bold touch, or curve touch or the rumored torch then that's what i am getting.

[southlander]

I'm sure there is "wasted space" for a reason. The form factor is something RIM gets right. Ever used a Droid Pro? It is funky to say the least.

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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.

[Simba501]

What are your thoughts?

I like the default design with a bigger screen. I think the back button has a lot of convenience, so I wouldn't remove it (its accompanying buttons would also stay then).