I love my blackberry! There. I said it. However, I am tempted from time to time to try an iPhone. Fortunately, Apple usually goes and does something stupid that reminds me how gated Apple products really are.
The trackball. It’s the little pearl looking thing in the middle of blackberries that allows you to move around the screen. it use to be a scroll wheel located on the left side of the phone. When Blackberries became more than just email devices they needed something new. Great concept. Many people love it and think that is what they are known for. Too bad most people have short term memories.
The trackball is going away. It is being replaced with an optical trackpad. You can see the trackpad in action on the new blackberries in just a few months. I will be relieved when it gets replaced. Prior to me owning a blackberry, I would constantly see people blowing on their blackberries. I would ask them what they were doing and they said they were blowing out dirt from the trackball. Really? Sounds like a pain. When I got my blackberry I didn’t have any problems with dirt. I did, however, have issues with Papa John’s garlic sauce. Twice. 🙁
Well, now I have ran into problems with the trackball. Yes, it does get dirty. Yes, I do blow on it. No, it does no good. However, I can tell you what a person can do.
Either replace the trackball (relatively cheap either thru the internet or from a local dealer) or take the trackball out and clean the contact. When the ring around my trackball broke (yes I dropped it) I had to get the ring replaced. Again, it’s a fairly cheap fix. Now that I knew how to take the ring off, the trackball contraption would fall right out. When looking at the metal contact it was all full of some black gunk. I cleaned it off with just a small piece of paper towling. Probably should have used some rubbing alcohol on a q-tip. After replacing it the trackball worked again. I don’t quite understand what was happening with mine but sometimes it won’t scroll up or it won’t scroll down.
One thing to keep an eye on is whenyou pop the ring off. You can use anything to pop it off. I used the end of a letter opener. There are very tiny pieces of plastic that hold it into place. Avoid breaking them all off otherwise you will have to buy a new ring.
Good luck with those blackberries! I’m looking at late November for the new Merlin to come out for AT&T.