BlackBerry Onyx with optical trackball leaks out

Looks like RIM's getting serious about optical trackballs -- first the Curve 8520 ditched the spinner and now it looks like the Onyx has been upgraded as well. That's pretty much just as we've all expected ever since we first laid eyes on this 3G mashup of the Bold and Curve 8900, and we're pretty stoked about it, since we find optical trackballs to be pretty great. Of course, there's no word on a ship date, but we're hoping it'll be soon.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

[AlDeezy @ Jul 10th 2009 2:09PM]

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AlDeezy @ Jul 10th 2009 2:11PM]

Device looks real sexy, hopefully it will ship with the new 5.0 software.

[bublik @ Jul 10th 2009 3:26PM]

the 1st one is kind of cool

[Rob @ Jul 10th 2009 4:11PM]

The Onyx with Optical pad might just be the phone that will eventually replace my trusty Bold. Now, if they can just find a way to release those with OS 5. Way to go RIM!

[Heimbachae @ Jul 13th 2009 7:57AM]

i thought the onyx with the curve keyboard looked tacky and cheap, but that one with the bold's keyboard looks uber sexay!!

[Mark Anderson II @ Jul 10th 2009 2:12PM]

Ooh that's purty!!

[livehifi @ Jul 10th 2009 2:14PM]

very cool. blackberry is really becoming an attractive phone.

[GRAMMAR POLICE @ Jul 10th 2009 2:14PM]

Finally! I have wanted to give a BB a shot and ever since the first spyshots of these leaked out, I've been holding out. Holding out for these, holding out for ION... too much waiting these days...

[teej @ Jul 10th 2009 3:28PM]

Wow. Your grammar is horrible.

[GRAMMAR POLICE @ Jul 10th 2009 4:40PM]

Wow, your mom is wonderful.

[MSM @ Jul 10th 2009 6:02PM]

lol

[Demo @ Jul 10th 2009 2:17PM]

This is awesome. CrackBerry referred to this as the "no compromise" BlackBerry because it actually has all the features it should (WiFi, and 3G in the same device.) Glad to see the optical trackball coming to make the deal even sweeter.

[M. @ Jul 10th 2009 2:24PM]

wow nice one RIM, this might become my first Blackberry

[216 @ Jul 10th 2009 2:19PM]

woooow that looks so much nicer

[Arthur @ Jul 10th 2009 2:23PM]

I'm sorry but I can't feel satisfied when you have a device that packs wifi and 3G almost a year later than my current E71. Props for the optical trackball though...

[CtrlBurn @ Jul 10th 2009 2:29PM]

Yeah, the E71 is still a tough phone to beat. I don't think this is the first BB with 3G and wifi. The 9000 has both.

[Alex Padilla @ Jul 10th 2009 2:21PM]

This is awesome. Now if only they'd update their operating system...

[Lando Calrissian @ Jul 10th 2009 2:44PM]

BlackBerry OS is really good, and to be honest, I prefer it to iPhone OS.

[From My Cube @ Jul 10th 2009 2:46PM]

wtf are you talking about, just becuase it isnt all eye candy like the iPhones doesnt mean its shit

[Alex Padilla @ Jul 10th 2009 3:01PM]

@ Cube:

I don't care about eye candy, I just think that the BB OS is outdated. Hell, just update the browser and I'll be happy. Blackberries are great devices, but using the OS--which is still very good, don't get me wrong--just leaves me wanting more.

[grr34 @ Jul 10th 2009 2:25PM]

oh yea!!! more of the same old crap from Rim. They keep rehashing the same shit over and over. Hey RIM your best selling device is the CURVE make the 8900 3G not this "mashup" shit. And for god sakes lose the optical trackball way to make this look even cheaper.

Disclaimer: I own a 8310, a Bold and a Storm 9530 all on AT&T. I am just sick of the same stuff over and over from Rim.

[Brian @ Jul 10th 2009 2:36PM]

Very interesting that you're using a CDMA phone on AT&T. I understand that it's GSM also, but did you really buy a storm and then pay $150 + other cancellation fees just to get it to AT&T?

[nbollinger @ Jul 10th 2009 2:44PM]

I'm in the same boat with the Iphone. It's a great phone but I'm sick of it. I don't know how else they would change the style of the phone, it's perfectly suited for what the phone does. Also the menus and interface are really boring. If it wasn't for how well safari renders the internet and some sweet apps and games I have, I would of done went with a basic smartphone such as a samsung jack or Tmobile Dash 3G.

All in all, Blackberry and Apple both have great phones and I think its symptom of being near perfection. I don't know how else RIM or Apple would change their phone designs. Their design is almost flawless in execution with the way the phone's hardware works with its OS.

[superfresh @ Jul 10th 2009 3:26PM]

Tell me which phone company it is again that does radical restylings of their phone offerings? Are you referring to the iPhone? the LG Chocolate? The Sidekick? The RAZR?

Why is it that with every BB post, I have to hear about how it's more of the same. Most companies in any field only do minor tweaks to successful products. It's called branding and building customer loyalty. You usually only see major restylings when a product fails, and even then they usually dump the old name for something else (like Samsung Omnia and the i8910).

In other words. Relax a bit. RIM makes Blackberries. Blackberries look like the picture above, so when you see one, you say, "Hey, that's a Blackberry." They're making decent updates to successful products (whether they provide these updates in a timely fashion is another story). But maybe you're the type of person that complains when they recognize a Corvette as it drives down the street.

[grr34 @ Jul 10th 2009 5:52PM]

@Brian Nope I paid 200 for it on ebay.

I dont mind getting low randed for having my opinion and voicing it, I am not saying rim has to do a drastic change, but every phone is the exact same stlying. The Curve and the Pearl are big sellers for rim, I assume so big they figure they can sell them somemore before updating them. I love the 8900 but it needs to be 3G that is all I am really saying.

They (RIM) really need to do more on the OS too. OS 5 is really 4.7.5 or 4.8 IMO.

[Ricky @ Jul 10th 2009 2:34PM]

It's a trackPAD not a trackball.

[allannguyen @ Jul 10th 2009 2:43PM]

i thought these were the two new models...

http://vaburbia.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/NewRimPhones.jpg

[dustinlikewhat @ Jul 10th 2009 2:46PM]

How will this effect my brickbreaker playing?

[Nathan Otis @ Jul 10th 2009 8:15PM]

You'll still stink.


ZING!

[216 @ Jul 10th 2009 2:57PM]

now i kno it has a trackpad and all, but that one on the left looks like it has a Storm(ish) kind of touchscreen to it

BB Magnum?

[plaka999 @ Jul 10th 2009 3:06PM]

Is this "optical trackball" similar to the E72? is it the same kind of thing, like hover and move your thumb over the D-pad, and it follows w/out you having to hold it down to receive input?

[Gaven @ Jul 10th 2009 3:06PM]

I hope they fixed the standby button as it has completely stopped working on my Bold now.

[damiaking @ Jul 10th 2009 3:09PM]

bye bye trackball :)

[JWC @ Jul 10th 2009 3:09PM]

Gimme an Android phone with an optical trackball and a 3.5 jack and I'll be in hog heaven.

[qrius @ Jul 10th 2009 3:11PM]

just make it simple and make it touchscreen.

[obxKevin @ Jul 10th 2009 3:11PM]

Not sure about this. I like the fact that RIM is progressing, but the last optical pad I tried was a bit buggy. Of course, that could have been the device, itself, or just the software causing the problem.

[J-2 @ Jul 10th 2009 3:15PM]

Uh guys, wouldn't this technically be a trackpad instead of a trackball. Seeing how there's no actual "ball" involved and everything...
:-P

[Brian @ Jul 10th 2009 10:54PM]

Really? A trackpad? That probably would have been really neat 3 years ago, but wouldn't it make a lot more sense to have the screen be a touchscreen? You're forcing the user to navigate around this big screen using a tiny screen right beneath it. There's no rule that says you can't have a keyboard and a touch screen, but I guess no one told RIM that.

[HC @ Jul 10th 2009 4:20PM]

That's what RIM is already doing... Why not search up for the rumored Blackberry Magnum/Pluto which will be a touch screen/Qwerty hybrid phone. There is a huge touch screen for navigation like the Storm, but the bottom will have a Bold-style Qwerty keyboard.

[kam @ Jul 12th 2009 10:20PM]

Yeh they are working on that touchscreen/qwerty hybrid. This Onyx phone is basically what the Bold and the second curve should have been. Slim, sexy, 3G, perfect keyboard, etc. Both the Bold and the second curve were missing at least something from the list, so this will be the BB to get before they finally get the touchscreen hybrid out the door. Can't wait for the new blackberry messenger features.

[Cirian75 @ Jul 10th 2009 3:39PM]

An optical trackball !

The ONLY reason I did not get a bold was the fact the trackball was no longer a user replacable part

I went through 4 on my 8800

now with this optical trackball.

looks like blackberry is back on list next upgrade, yay

:-)

[HC @ Jul 10th 2009 4:22PM]

Really? Because my Bold has had a black trackball for some time now. I can install any color I want. I don't know where you heard it isn't user replaceable. I can customize near everything on the Bold.

Right now I'm rocking an all black bezel, black side buttons and a black trackball to complete the "stealth" look.

[Cirian75 @ Jul 11th 2009 2:26AM]

cool

[Chas Underwood III @ Jul 10th 2009 5:00PM]

Ooooohhhhhhh! Very nice! I like it a lot! I have had to replace a couple spinners and while they are way better than the side scroll I am looking forward to trying this out!

[jshum @ Jul 10th 2009 6:43PM]

Trackpad sux. The ball gives more control over the unit. The pad doesn't allow you to select icons accurately as the trackball does.

[ae @ Jul 11th 2009 1:32AM]

does the first one have a touch screen as well?

[JohnTech @ Jul 13th 2009 12:23AM]

So when will they start putting optical trackpads in netbooks? I'll settle for a eraserhead.

[mitchg @ Sep 20th 2009 12:04AM]

i think the 8900 (newest curve) would outsell/replace the Bold if there was 3g on the 8900. Im thinkin maybe it's to save the bolds ass.