1. Aspyred's Avatar
    Don't know about you guys, but am I the only one that prefers the trackball?

    I'm talking here of strict functionality. I had a Bold 9700 for 2 weeks before switching back to the Bold 9000, and while the trackpad was a slick looking piece of kit, I felt it was overall, less accurate than the trackball was.

    Initial impressions of most any smartphone review website, or gosh, and most any forumite here is generally that, yeah, the trackpad is not something that grows on you eventually, but something you learn to appreciate *almost immediately* after using it for the first time.

    Some reviews mentioned, for things like Brickbreaker, the trackpad does feel less accurate, and it's more difficult to play, and I tend to agree, but without saying this is true for just Brickbreaker. So many things in the BB OS (for better or worse, usually worse) are dependant upon your having positioned the trackball/pad just right, other options being a slight roll of the ball/pad away.

    ie. Calendar, while rare, it can be frustrating to hit the Hours when you meant to adjust the Minutes of an appointment, or hit the wrong option when you have your BB menu open, or what have you. Not that you gain a huge advantage with the trackball, but with BB OS, to have a more accurate cursor, is to everyone's benefit when you're using your phone as much as most any Crackberry user would be.

    There is a tactile response with the trackball that I still love from my old 8800, which is missing on the optical trackpad. The trackpad also, to me, suffers when your thumb is sometimes TOO dry, and it's a bit harder to move your cursor around, making the experience inconsistent sometimes.

    The TL; DL version is this:

    Trackball Pros:
    - Tactile feedback, thus it tends to be more accurate
    - If there are issues, replacement parts tend to be on the cheap side for most Blackberry models
    - For ME, the trackball does not suffer if my hands are too dry, but the argument could go, well if your hands are dirty, the trackpad works better. My hands are far more often too dry than they are dirty/am eating messy food/etc. IMO.
    - While it probably suffers from a lot of things I may not be aware of, the trackball does not suffer from the 'loose' trackpad issue, where many users have complained of the trackpad moving around in its casing during use -- kind of annoying every time you use your phone

    Trackball Cons:
    - Gets dirty quick, requires more maintenance
    - At its worst, the trackball is fugly looking when yellow/darker/etc.
    - Terrible and impossible to use if it gets dirty, much harder to clean than a pad (where a simple wipe, and ta-da, clean)

    The ugly look of the trackball however, can be fixed with a black trackball. The issues with the trackpad however, cannot so easily be fixed with a simple replacement part.

    THE CONCLUSION IS THIS: While the trackball requires more maintenance by far, when it's working right, my argument is that it works better IMO.

    I know this will not be a popular opinion, and I fully expect to get chewed out, but what does everyone else think? Thanks.
    Last edited by Aspyred; 01-12-10 at 02:47 PM.
    01-12-10 02:35 PM
  2. sdmcwilliams's Avatar
    A co-worker just got a Bold 9700 and I have to say after using it for 5 minutes I can see that I would like the trackpad better.
    01-12-10 02:47 PM
  3. Bla1ze's Avatar
    I find the trackpad wayyyy more accurate and faster to gain access to w/e you need to. Trackpad FTW!
    01-12-10 03:01 PM
  4. sorlipm's Avatar
    put me down for the trackball. i have played with both
    01-12-10 03:27 PM
  5. tony bag o donuts's Avatar
    right now its trackball for me, but I have only been using a ball for a year and tried the pad for a day on a friends 8530......
    01-12-10 03:28 PM
  6. BergerKing's Avatar
    I'm frankly looking forward to the trackpad. I thrash trackballs pretty badly. They wear down badly, and with the new devices, I'd rather not have to disassemble them or swap devices for a new one.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-12-10 03:31 PM
  7. Xopher's Avatar
    From my first tries of testing out the trackpad, I find that I am probably more accurate with the trackball. I think that is more due to me being used to trackballs than anything else. I'm sure if I had a BB with trackpad, I would learn to be more accurate with it.
    01-12-10 03:35 PM
  8. noaim's Avatar
    I like the trackpad way better then I like the trackball it blows it away...
    01-12-10 04:04 PM
  9. h3r5hee's Avatar
    I have many friends who's trackballs no longer scroll left. Or no longer scroll down. I suppose only time will tell if the trackpad will stop scrolling left. But I have a feeling it will work just fine.

    Anyone remember when old laptops used to have a ball? Now they have trackpads. Why? Because mechanical parts are known to FAIL!
    01-12-10 04:09 PM
  10. kat89447's Avatar
    I actually chose the tour because of the trackball. I like it better and for me it is more accurate. Plus I tend to use mine both right and left handed and the ball is easier to do this with.
    01-12-10 06:47 PM
  11. Masahiro's Avatar
    The only thing missing with the trackpad is tactile responsiveness. However, the ball has far more downsides: they break, they get stuck, they get dirty, they stop clicking (in my case), and they're just so low-tech compared to the rest of the phone. Besides, the lack of "feeling" on the trackpad can be somewhat supplemented by turning on the clicking sound.

    Oh, and the main thing that annoys me with the trackball is when I'm trying to click on a link in the browser, but having my thumb "slip" on the ball and selecting something else instead. It probably has much to do with the lack of the click on my trackball though.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    Last edited by Masahiro; 01-12-10 at 07:05 PM.
    01-12-10 07:02 PM
  12. Bl_ai_r's Avatar
    i am having this debate right now. going to buy either a tour or curve 8530. i am so torn.
    01-12-10 07:15 PM
  13. paddygirl16's Avatar
    It took me a little time to get use too, but I am definetly prefering the trackpad over the trackball. I just remember the scroll thing on the side of the old version of BB, and anything is an improvement from that.
    01-12-10 07:17 PM
  14. blueyestm's Avatar
    i think if i started out with a bb with a trackpad i'd probably like it better but I like my trackball and will find it very difficult when i finally officially upgrade to a trackpad because, well, lets face it, I want the 3G and might as well get the best out there which is the 9700 :/
    01-12-10 07:18 PM
  15. wojotiger's Avatar
    I'm torn on this debate and have been wondering which is better. I haven't had any issues at all with my trackball and find it extremely accurate. The little bit that I've played with the trackpad has made me wonder about its accuracy, but who knows, after adjusting to it, it may end up better, guess I will find out when the tour 2 comes out.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-12-10 08:00 PM
  16. vincentnyc's Avatar
    U do realize u can adjust the vertical and horizontal sensitivity for the trackpad right?

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-12-10 08:00 PM
  17. bboy2143's Avatar
    I played with the trackpad today and I prefer the trackpad way more than the trackball. Smoother and more accurate. I love it.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-12-10 08:31 PM
  18. Pilot Prop's Avatar
    MY 2cents: I feel like the trackpad is better...sure it took me a little while to regain my accuracy, I wld much rather the TP, the trackball keeps getting stuck and that's irritating!...

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-12-10 08:51 PM
  19. itch808's Avatar
    Tried both.

    trackBALL for me.
    01-12-10 08:53 PM
  20. weblou's Avatar
    I would have to go with the trackpad.....I find it faster and more accurate then the ball.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-12-10 09:49 PM
  21. MindTracker's Avatar
    TrackBALL..... Just didnt like the PAD...
    01-12-10 11:12 PM
  22. dwaynewilliams#WN's Avatar
    I don't really see a difference as far as functionality between the two. The trackball does feel a slightly more solid, but it is very slight. The trackpad feels really good and looks even better. After having a trackpad for a couple of weeks, I can honestly say that it wouldn't matter to me to have either. My only objection would be the white trackball. Once those get dirty, your device looks horrible.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-12-10 11:26 PM
  23. bluz's Avatar
    i have never owned a trackpad BB but have played with one for considerable time and I do like the trackpad than the trackball.
    01-13-10 12:30 AM
  24. Fuzzballz's Avatar
    Ball for me. Hate the pad.

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    01-13-10 01:58 AM
  25. StealthMan's Avatar
    Ball > pad
    01-13-10 04:58 AM
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