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Wrapping Up BlackBerry Live 2013 in Orlando, Florida
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I read a lot of articles where BlackBerry users complained about their BlackBerry’s trackball (aka pearl – which gave the Pearl its name) doesn’t want to move to a direction anymore.
To be honest, this is something I was afraid of when I first heard RIM will replace the BlackBerry’s trackwheel with a trackball. You won’t believe what happened to me two days ago … My trackball didn’t want to move to right. Well, that’s not good, I thought. After two days of drying everything from moving the ball as fast I could to shaking the Pearl until it got sick. Nothing helped. The ball didn’t want to move right anymore. That’s really bad because there is no way to select an application (address book, options, anything that is not in the left column) and therefor the phone is useless!

Save Money with phone cards
GTD for BlackBerry
Professional Tasks
Zip & Unzip files
Track billable time
Develop habits
more…
Today it was enough! The problem is, I cannot afford to loose that phone for maybe several weeks while it will be repaired. So I searched forums, googled (even yahooed) and found a lot of stuff which had not really an answer to my question. I remembered an article some months ago which mentioned the coloring the of the Pearl’s trackball by coloring the LED beneath the trackball. Finally I realized that removing the pearl’s cover would the best way to get access to its sensor and clean it. By the way, this should work for all BlackBerry devices that carry a trackball around like BlackBerry Pearl, Curve, 8800, 8820 and 8830.
The silver ring which covers the trackball can easily be removed if you use a small screwdriver to lift it at the outer side of the ring. Be careful here! Like you should be during the whole process as all parts have very small plastic nipple which can break very easy. When the silver plastic ring is removed you will see the inner trackball component which can be removed completely. Before doing this you should carefully remove the silver metal ring that holds the trackball component in its position. The trackball component itself can also be carved. For every direction the ball can roll to you’ll find a sensor wheel. Those wheels are mostly carrying some gunk you should clean them from. Once this is done put everything back together to the place the pieces came from and secure the trackball with the silver plastic ring you removed in the first step. Your BlackBerry’s trackball should be back working now.
BlackBerry Pearl Trackball Cleaning Screen Shot

BlackBerry Bold Trackball Cleaning Screen Shots
This is a bit more complicated because you need to disassemble all parts starting with pulling out the battery, unscrewing the cover, and popping out the circuit board. It is pretty though. You just need the right tools

That are lots of parts I know. But that’s it. Here is a high definition image of the BlackBerry Bold’s Trackball:

The trackball itself is the same as in the BlackBerry Pearl, Curve and 88xx Series. Just the metal cover is a bit different. So if you cannot fix this you might want to get one of the replacements below. They should work with the Bold as well.
If even this cleaning does not help you should consider to buy a new trackball for your BlackBerry. It is pretty cheap and you even know how to assemble it already
BlackBerryInsight searched the web and found the best offers for you! You can get a brand new trackball replacement below via the famous Amazon webshop for just 5-8 bucks.
Update: We have added a “BlackBerry Trackball Toolkit” to the widget above if you are in a need a full blown trackball repair solution
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Phreqd
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http://www.blackberryinsight.com/ k
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Johnny Prewitt
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odo
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pete l
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http://www.blackberryforums.com/general-8300-series-discussion/82798-stuck-trackball.html#post578068 Stuck Trackball – BlackBerryForums.com : Your Number One BlackBerry Community
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SteveG
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Adam
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Katie
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P
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frederick
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http://www.blackberryinsight.com/ k
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dino
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Randy
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http://blog.team-studer.com/jon/2007/07/13/how-to-clean-your-blackberrye28099s-trackball/ Jon’s Geek Stuff … & Stuff » How to clean your BlackBerry’s Trackball
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Woodsy
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PeterMeter
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Angela
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http://forums.crackberry.com/f5/trackball-sticking-2583/#post22014 Trackball Sticking – BlackBerry Forums at CrackBerry.com
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http://nobrakesatl.com twotone
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http://www.danielbirnbaum.com Dan
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CP
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Mike
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http://www.ianbetteridge.co.uk/technovia/?p=1350 del.icio.us bookmarks for August 14th | Technovia
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Rob
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http://hundt.com thundt
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http://www.mpswireless.com MPS WIRELESS
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Eric
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Arthur
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Aaron
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Benjamin
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Woj
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Rex
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Truth Told
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Sam
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Marty
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ixlr8
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http://trackball Mike E
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Bob e
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http://www.sheridanimports.com James
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christina
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Michael
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http://www.markobrien.com.au/?p=29 blackberry trackball problems — mark o’brien
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http://www.digital-traffic.net Brian
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Mark
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Kamil
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http://WWW.DIALNETLA.COM FIX IT CHEAP
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http://AMAZINGADVICEandinstructions Franc
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Luis
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Jerald
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Raul E. Rojas
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Yvonne
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Jay
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http://www.slybaldguys.com Tyler
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JayJ
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lee
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http://www.bbgeeks.com/blackberry-guides/two-blackberry-mysteries-solved-88107/ Two BlackBerry Mysteries, Solved | BB Geeks
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bo diddly
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Patrice
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Born
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Michael A
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Daniel a
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Hank
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JMA
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http://www.trackaname.com/Vikrant_Bhargava Vikrant
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JP
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PC
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http://www.blackberryforums.com/general-8300-series-discussion-curve/113491-sticky-trackball-keyboard.html#post803068 Sticky trackball and keyboard – BlackBerryForums.com : Your Number One BlackBerry Community
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Chris
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vasilis
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Abid
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Pam
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http://weblogs.asp.net/jcogley/archive/2008/01/28/cleaning-the-blackberry-8820-track-ball.aspx BlackBerry 8820 cleaning pictures
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DaveT
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chris
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Moli
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Shayna
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http://www.myspace.com/ryantrevino ryan trevino
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Christine
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Indy
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Indy
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Mike
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http://www.volette.com Joe T.
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http://www.blackberryinsight.com/ k
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Kayla
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Alex
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Kenneth
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Ronny
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Franklin
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Torben
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http://www.lockergnome.com/it/2008/06/06/trackball-tragedies-avoided/ Trackball Tragedies Avoided ~ IT Professionals
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http://www.frenzytech.info/2008/06/06/trackball-tragedies-avoided/ Trackball Tragedies Avoided | Technology Blog
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http://yournewssite.info/2008/06/07/news/trackball-tragedies-avoided/ News » Trackball Tragedies Avoided
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j.smith
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v.kurri
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http://isaiahspace.100megsfree8.com/pearltrackballenter.html pearl trackball enter
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I hate Rogers in Canada
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phil
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Cathy
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Simon
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http://dj-sok.com Sokphak
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Angela
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Nelly
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Simon
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http://www.blackberryforums.com/general-blackberry-discussion/137929-old-trackballs-vs-new-trackballs.html#post997184 Old Trackballs vs. New Trackballs – BlackBerryForums.com : Your Number One BlackBerry Community
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melissa
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http://www.blackberryforums.com/bbf-reviews/141593-hardware-review-solar-charger-blackberry-wireless-handheld.html#post1033890 Hardware Review: Solar Charger for BlackBerry Wireless Handheld – BlackBerryForums.com : Your Number One BlackBerry Community
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six
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Richard
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Jo
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Scotty Mack
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RandomBantam
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Tom
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Karla
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Rem
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Nicolle
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J Ibarra
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Corey
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LBUG
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http://myspace.com/xkoollilpnayx4ux Victhaney
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Mark
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John C.
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B rone
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Gary
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http://www.tokobunda.com Ninda
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Tracy
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MatthewP
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Bampa-Dale
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http://blackberry8800 FLORIAN J MGIMWA
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http://myspace.com/twinncitydse LUNi G
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ertan from germany
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sahas
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Clinton
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Bill
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GuyH
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David De
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David De
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Axel Roland
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Tony
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Angie
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jiffles
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zat
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rohit
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Mamapajama
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Cow Poke
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http://www.blackberryinsight.com/2008/11/26/blackberry-bold-has-been-disassembled/ BlackBerry Bold has been disassembled | BlackBerryInsight
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martha cuevas
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Stuart
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franco
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Laly
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debmarst
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Rav
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Chris
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Jenn_N
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simon
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revee
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LV
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roymartinez
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Kelly
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Kelly
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CB
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alex
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Paul
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dave
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cel
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http://- steve
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Christine
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Claire
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Ryan Wiggins
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http://www.blackberryinsight.com/2007/06/13/how-to-clean-your-blackberrys-trackball/ CrestView Blue
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Jeremy
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http://forums.crackberry.com/f33/trackball-keys-8820-messed-up-143676/#post1485748 Trackball and keys on 8820 messed up – BlackBerry Forums at CrackBerry.com
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D Dews
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http://wazong.de/blog/2008/10/22/how-to-clean-your-blackberry%e2%80%99s-trackball-blackberryinsight/ Dentaku » How to clean your BlackBerry’s Trackball | BlackBerryInsight
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paul b
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Kazmi
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allen aksu
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Greg
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Sudhir
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Michael
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Ryan
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http://forums.crackberry.com/f33/8820-clicking-its-own-155913/#post1667727 8820 clicking on its own – BlackBerry Forums at CrackBerry.com
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Adam
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lesny
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Darrell Holowaychuk
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Fluffy
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Debbie
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Legal Tech
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mackenzie
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marc
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http://www.blackberryinsight.com/2009/03/03/htc-copied-the-trackball/ HTC Copied The Trackball! | BlackBerryInsight
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jamar h for chesapeake VA
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Mike
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Andy
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John
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Fluffy
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http://www.youtubeddl.com trypu.com
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Susan
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Matilda
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Roberto
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Yung Nash
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randi
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meldy
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beware of contact spray
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Elliot
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http://boldtrackball zoyd
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melissa
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melissa
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Vinay
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Bob Marley
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http://www.mrmobile.net.au/catalogue/blackberry_spare_parts/blackberry_tools_and_trackballs/8100_8300_8800_series_trackball_pearl_with_ring Joseph Jones
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http://Michael999111 MIchael
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Ryan D
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Ryan D
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http://www.blackberryinsight.com/ k
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Sheri Ann Johnson
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Tall Tone
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chris
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Patrick (19, redneck farmer)
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patrick
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MICK
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erika
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http://www.the1001bestpages.org/learn-to-clean-your-blackberry.html Learn To Clean Your Blackberry | The 1001 Best Pages…
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Demetrius
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Debbie
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Stephanie
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kelsey
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http://www.cafepress.com/brainchildshop Demetrius
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Nunzio
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Debbie
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BERRYGOD
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Luke
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Doug
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http://www.reelcriticism.com Bryan
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Ralph
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DotumChee
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Klutz!
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Jam Chin Lam
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chris
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Laurena
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Scott Turner
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sam
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http://realurl.org/twitted.php?id=2645885361 Twitted by bbunderground
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Jo
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Mike W
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D
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TLK
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http://www.blackberryinsight.com k
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Rico
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http://www.blackberryinsight.com/2009/07/25/need-a-replacement-trackball-for-your-blackberry/ Need a Replacement Trackball for your BlackBerry? | BlackBerryInsight
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Kimberly
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K
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http://topsy.com/tb/www.blackberryinsight.com/2007/06/13/how-to-clean-your-blackberrys-trackball/ Twitter Trackbacks for How to clean your BlackBerry’s Trackball | BlackBerryInsight [blackberryinsight.com] on Topsy.com
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Millaun Brown
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Kim
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kristy
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http://www.ecommercecircle.com eCommerceCircle
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RC
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Brenda
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Carolyn
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Stephen
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http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/dive-ny/288922-dnys-playroom-1348.html#post4705708 DNY’s Playroom – Page 1348 – ScubaBoard
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Alasan
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milton
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http://www.hackbyte.com/2009/09/28/blackberry-trackball-issues-and-cleaning/ Blackberry Trackball Cleaning | hackbyte.com
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http://www.uppermaster.com/Product/Blackberry_Accessories/UM-BBBALL.html Daniel Gore
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Twig
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JV
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Shanna
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chris
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MK
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Dennis
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J
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Bean
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onesmus
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Mosasji
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regin
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Marci
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http://www.edugeek.net/forums/netbooks-pda-phones/44044-blackberry-scroll-wheel-issue.html#post405120 blackberry scroll wheel issue
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jodie
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http://www.tecnolongia.org Jaume
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http://bonfeinberg@gmail.com Bonnie
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teez
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Scott
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Cindy
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http://www.pakwheels.com/forums/non-wheels-discussions/124297-help-blackberry-bold-scroll-key#post2000938 Help ! BlackBerry Bold scroll key – PakWheels Forums
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alexx
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BK
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Joe B.
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http://www.blackberryinsight.com/ k
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Alley Tew
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jona
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Bah
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pd
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LB
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Danno
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http://real-url.org/twitted.php?id=20460817583 Twitted by victoriaaa_
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BlackBerry Addicted
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Bob
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Scott
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http://www.wholereason.com/2009/05/blackberry-curve-tips-tricks-troubleshooting-guide.html Whole Reason » GUIDE: Blackberry Curve Tips, Tricks, & Troubleshooting Guide
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http://www.everything4blackberry.com/ blackberry trackball
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Berry Patch
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ACT
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cyanide88
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Ridgyman
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xavier
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http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=514116491 Benson Lee
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Shane01
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Jun
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Galt123
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http://www.blackberryinsight.com BlackBerryInsight
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guest
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guest
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http://www.blackberryforums.com/blackberry-help/243660-scroll-ball.html#post1695130 Scroll Ball – BlackBerry Forums Support Community
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http://www.facebook.com/people/Akash-Hande/1475744872 Akash Hande
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BB User
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happi
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Nicole :)
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http://twitter.com/MisterSnoobs Jonathan Sims
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Isla93
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Sscooke
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Arunrao
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Murphyslaw77
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Murphyslaw77
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http://profiles.google.com/mariaandrea.vanderwallarneman Maria Andrea van der wall Arne
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Cake
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http://fairenterprisi.allergiesaid.com/2011/11/18/gets-trackerball/ Gets trackerball | Fairenterprisi
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Mobinh
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Kala
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http://kennedymall246.shikshik.org/2012/02/23/blackberry-cleaning/ Blackberry cleaning | Kennedymall246
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Anonymous
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maxx
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guest
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Test123
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jim
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guest
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Luqman
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Terabrommit
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http://zxr12.yoursexualaids.net/2012/09/20/blackberry-trackballs/ Blackberry trackballs | Zxr12
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http://ranksintl.yoursexualaids.net/2012/10/03/blackberry-ball/ Blackberry ball | Ranksintl
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http://www.cazh1.com/third-times-the-charm-blackberry-bold/ Third Time’s the Charm? Blackberry Bold | cazh1
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