[Agent Elliot 007]

A lot of people wonder why some of the newer touch phones have touchscreens and trackpads of different sorts. It does seem odd if you don't give it much thought, but at the same time, it actually makes a great deal of sense in terms of maximizing your ability to use current multimedia technology, including that little format that has been mentioned endlessly in iPad articles: Flash.

So in case anyone wonders why it'd be nice to have a touchscreen as well as a Trackpad, read this little blog entry. It'll shed more light on the matter more articulately than I could.

An Adobe Flash developer on why the iPad can’t use Flash — RoughlyDrafted Magazine

Random thoughts:

In regards to the new OS that's been discussed, I'm all for it...maybe. If it's just another rehash of the current OS, I wouldn't give a damn. I love Blackberry for e-mail, but that's about it these days. Their OS and general build quality recently (5 replacement Curves in the last six months, and I haven't even been getting refurbs!) leaves a lot to be desired. I was going to upgrade to a Tour except all those I know with them have been having as many or more problems than I already do. I'd have an iPhone (I'm not an Apple slappy, I just want a functional, modern device) if not for AT&T. Blackberry would do well to focus on designing less phones, and then building and supporting those phones better. They could extend their reach with fewer phones by making use of the the upcoming chip advancements in dual-band GSM/CDMA chips/radios. They've already got a head start on the matter.

So if Blackberry can put out a new (from the ground up) OS better suited for modern mobile use, with a touchscreen (please no SurePress...), qwerty keyboard and a Trackpad, they'll have my full attention. If they do it well, without the tirade of bugs, crashes, replacements, etc., they'll easily keep my money flowing into their system. I'll gladly stick with my Blackberry + iPod Touch combo if they do all that. But at this point when I can barely keep a device usable for more than a couple months (no abuse, BABIED OUT OF FEAR, no apps, plenty of memory available) my relationship with Blackberry is hanging by an ever-thinning thread.

It wouldn't take too much to make me happy, honestly. I'm infinitely more concerned with every day functionality, usability and consistency than anything else. Give me the already great Blackberry e-mail experience. Give me an upgraded web experience that at least comes close to iPhone's Safari but allow me to at least navigate a Flash site for information or watch videos on a news site; I don't need to play Flash games. Let me text people and use BBM as I have. I'm pretty happy with what I've seen from the latest Camera's all things considered, so just keep that up so I can take pictures on the fly to e-mail and MMS them around. Oh, one other little upgrade would be nice: the ability to set multiple alarm clocks in case I accidentally "dismiss" the first one.

If they could just do that stuff well, and I don't feel like it's really much to ask from them, they would keep my business. I don't need a Blackberry to be an iPhone/iPod Touch. I would rather use a separate device for productivity apps and portable media consumption anyways.

It'll be interesting to see what this "slider" amounts to...

[Law2138]

It's nice to know what RIM has to do to earn your money and build your confidence in their products. Luckily, you're not alone in your feelings. If you read through these slider threads you will see similar comments to what you just posted. Looking at the videos alone will prove that they are making great progress with os 6 and the 9800.

[ssbtech]

I hadn't thought of that before. The 9800 should fair well in this department because it has the trackpad in addition to the touch-screen.

[jen8112]

I hadn't thought of that before. The 9800 should fair well in this department because it has the trackpad in addition to the touch-screen.

The Moment has a trackpad and touchscreen...I never used the trackpad, not that big of a deal to have both.

[Najo]

The Moment has a trackpad and touchscreen...I never used the trackpad, not that big of a deal to have both.

That would be your opinion, I have missed this option since my last Treo.

[JoeNC]

I'm looking forward to the trackpad.
It will help keep finger prints and smudges off the screen.
:-)