New BlackBerry users won’t have to deal with the BlackBerry trackball problem anymore. To those who bought the BlackBerry Bold 9000 model and below, they have to constantly clean their trackballs because it quickly gathers dirts and jams the roller. Sometimes the roller just malfunctions completely and you have to get it replaced. My fiancee and I are both BlackBerry Bold 9000 users and we both experienced the same problem within the first 6 months. She’s already changed to the new Bold 9700 and I’m probably going to do the same sometime soon. Some suggested solutions for faulty trackballs after the break.

To those who have this problem, here are some solutions:

• Get a damp cloth and wipe it opposite the direction that doesn’t work. For example, it won’t roll upwards, then wipe it consistently for a few minutes downwards.
• Wipe it diagonally for a few minutes.
• Turn the unit off, take out the battery, and re-insert. It might not be a hardware problem.
• Go to Vmall in Greenhills and have the Track Ball completely replaced. This shouldn’t cost you more than P1,500. That includes labor already. This might be cheaper now.

This is probably the reason why the tiangge vendors in Theater mall are all stocked up with BlackBerry Bold 9000 units.