RIMM, the maker of the popular 'Blackberry' smartphone, seems to have forgotten what we all have known for a long, long time. In recent models, they moved from a roller clickwheel at the right thumb position, to a set of 'up and down' buttons, or a trackball.
Less precise, and less capable: The clickwheel could be operated by touch alone; the new variants cannot.
Making matters worse, seemingly no-one at RIMM ever is in a environment where their hands pick up grime. This grime, of course, transfers to the trackball.
The trackball is not field cleanable; compare contra the 'remove and clean' capabilities of a computer mouse. I see: Broken BlackBerry Blues over at thestreet.com today.
Time to 'stock up' with a couple unlocked '8700's off ebay, in advance of the day I lose or damage my current device.
