Will Upcoming OS Update Fix BlackBerry Tour Trackball Issues?

By Gabe on Aug 13, 2009 with Comments

Filed Under: 9630 Tour • OS Updates • Verizon

trackball_1.jpg"> Will Upcoming OS Update Fix BlackBerry Tour Trackball Issues?trackball_1" src="http://www.berryreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/trackball_1.jpg" alt="trackball_1" width="300" height="200" />The BlackBerry Tour is a great device, in my opinion it is the best BlackBerry to date even better than the Bold.  It does however have a few minor flaws that continue to nag me.  The highly criticized loose battery cover isn’t really a huge deal for me.  Mine is just slightly off and that problem will go away when I get my case cover.

What is starting to frustrate me is the trackball and its inability to move horizontally.  The problem seems to be getting worse and worse as time goes on.  Moving up and down is a breeze but moving left and especially right is an issue.

The faulty trackball has plagued many new Tour owners over the past month and some have gone as far as sending theirs in for a replacement.  Apparently Verizon Wireless has seen so many of these that they have stopped accepting trackball related returns.  Instead they insist an OS update will fix all trackball problems.  I am hoping this is indeed the case and that it’s only a software problem not hardware but only time will tell.

(Faulty Tour trackball in action)

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About the Author: Gabe is the owner and Editor-in-Chief here at BerryReporter also Owner of Everyting4Blackberry.com He has a strong passion for the BlackBerry and its growing community of fans.

  • Lisa
    Okay Tour users. I too, updated my blackberry to a Tour and have been having problems with the horizontal movement on the trackball since the day I got it and it has been getting progressively worse. Today the trackball completely stopped moving horizontally.

    It is NOT a software issue. First I took the blackberry and turned it on to its front on a white piece of paper on a flat surface making sure the trackball was depressed. Then rolled it for 30 seconds. Black gunk appeared on the paper. Then I took a small amt of goo gone on my finger and rolled the trackball for about 30 seconds. It worked very well and the horizontal is working again (for the time being, we shall see how long it lasts).
  • Phil
    Little dab of scrubbing bubbles on my finger and rub it around the ball for about a minute the wiped with a napkin to remove any residue, all while upside down, set horizontal sensitivity to 90 and it's better but not perfect.
  • Don't forget guys to contact your Verizon store and tell them you have trackball problems on your Tour. They immediately replace mine no questions asked.
  • Robert
    Haven't tried the GOO GONE or canned air, but Geez, if this is all it takes to at least regain SOME functionality of this miserable trackball why can't the brain surgeons at Sprint, Verizon and RIM figure this out. Instead of slinging the BS that the OS update will fix an obvious hardware problem. I had replaced my first BB Tour, but it arrived with a small but very annoying cosmetic defect right from the Sprint fulfillment center. I eventually went back to my first unit since the replacement behaved the same. Not a good showing of customer care. Sprint has been wonderful during this however and has never "given up" in trying to address my concerns. At this point - continued trackball issues and overheating - all I want is a replacement. Got my phone in June and hoping that now in November new stock may have resolved the issue. Can anyone comment on that last part? Thanks, Robert.
  • Robert
    Hate to be the bearing of bad news, but I have v4.7.1.57 on my Tour and still have trackball issues. The carriers are full of it by saying that an OS update can fix a problem that is routed in the hardware. My BB Curve never did this. Time for RIM to fix this!!!
  • Jerry
    a dab of goo gone phone upside down, swirled my finger around and around, pushed the ball in, just made the ball move for twenty seconds, the did the canned air with the ball pushed in, and not pushed in, changed the sensitivity to 90 on the vert, rockin and rollin, better than before...thanks peeps
  • Zippee
    Agree not a software issue. I pried up the housing a bit around the trackball and blew compressed air in and around the ball. Also adjusted the sensitivity to 90...works fine now.
  • Cisco
    My Tour was having issues last week with the trackball and now today it absolutely stopped scrolling to the left. Took it to Verizon which told me to use my old phone I had prior to the BB until they can mail me a replacement....that sucks...went home upset and then thought I would try GOO GONE...this is not a software issue, by putting a small dap on my finger and rubbing the trackball around, now the cursor moves again like normal. These trackballs need to be replaced not fixed with software.
  • I have a 9630 Sprint Tour and just downloaded the newest OS upgrade on 10/15/09. Unfortunately it DID NOT fix this annoying trackball problem. Thinking of taking it back in. This will be my 3rd Tour
  • Robert
    Glad to see someone acknowledge this. Thanks! Sprint also gives me the BS that the OS will fix this; well it didn't. Never considered voiding warranty to replace t-ball; we shouldn't have to go to that extreme. I pay $135/mo to Sprint and dammit I want a working device. The current BB Tour hangs up so long that it is sometimes useless right when I need it the most. It will take a long time to process data (thought it was supposed to be faster, more powerful - duh?) and it takes a long time to clear Google Mail, but maybe that's the GMail Enhanced Plug-in. Not sure. Frustrating at best.
  • mike
    hey does anyone knows when is the new OS(fix) is to be release?
  • Craig
    I have been through two tour's as well for the issue with the Horizontal trackball issue. It's driving me nuts! I cant take it much longer. I use my BB a lot and it's very frustrating!
  • nik
    This is one of the best phones that i have ever used WITH THE *bleep* EXCEPTION OF THIS *bleeper* MISERABLE LAGGING *bleepest* TRACKBALL ISSUE. You can press the button down hard, move it in all directions, air dust it, hold it at 45 degree angle away from the sun, and still the same thing will happen. I hope a fix is on the way because i am sure i will void the warranty if i snap the beautiful thing in half!
  • Shawn
    I am on Tour #4 now.

    1st - Battery only lasted 30 minutes. They replaced the battery and still no dice, so they gave me a new phone.

    2nd - Trackball was intermitant in scrolling horizontally.

    3rd - The "o" key didn't click and you had to push down very hard to get it to go.

    4th - This one is was fine at first and now the trackball again is intermitant with horizontal scrolling.

    I have worked for US Cellular Corporate and a Verizon agent in the past and know a lot about phones and these issues are definitely annoying as this phone would be amazing if it worked properly. Blackberry needs to fire the QC dept on this one.
  • harriet
    I am getting ready to get my 3rd bb tour. horrible problems with the track ball. So frustrating. works fine for a while and then won't move horizontally.
  • David
    I was told to use a air cleaner similar to one used to blow air on a computer to clean the dust. Lock the phone, push down on the ball and blow air in as best you can. This has help tremendously.
  • Justin
    Great tip David, I actually heard something similar to this but wasn't sure if it worked. Ill definitely give it a go now.
  • Yudi Asmadi
    i went through 3 different tours also and they all work great for several days only... so i initiated to replace the trackball with curve 8310 trackball, and solved the problem.
  • Aric
    So far, everyone i know who has replaced the trackball with a different one reports it works flawlessly.....only thing it will cost you is your warranty.
    For me, thats not a big issue. I buy a new phone every year anyway at my current rate. But for my first BB? This is...a dissapointing experience.
  • Dan
    Adjusting sensitivity won't fix this issue. It seems like a hardware issue. I went through 3 different Tours. They all work great at first - then over the next week, the trackball movement starts deteriorating (horizontal scrolling is the only thing affected. Vertical scrolling works fine). Seasoned Blackberry users everywhere are running into this issue.
    http://forums.crackberry.com/showthread.php?p=306...
    http://forums.crackberry.com/showthread.php?p=313...
    http://forums.crackberry.com/showthread.php?p=313...
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