The optical touch pad works and goes in all directions.
I have the Aria and I use the optical pad/ball often in text writing.
For example, when I notice I have to make an insertion or change a letter or two in a word that has already been typed, then I use the optical touch pad and move the cursor there. The touch gesture or movement is not uniformly easy to make, or as responsive to me in all directions.
I use my left hand to touch and the optical pad is most responsive to a right swipe.
Second most responsive to an up swipe and then a left swipe and then a down swipe. (In other words, the optical pad reacts most quickly and easily to a left-to-right motion and is slowest or least responsive to an up-to-down motion for me.)
It took me a while to get used to how to make the optical touch pad do what I want --now, after almost three months, it is almost second nature and not a big deal.
Spazbam, if you fiddle with the gestures in a text window (IM, email or note program) and can't get it to move in one direction no matter what -then you might have a mechanical problem, but I think the more common issue is figuring out the way to make your "swipes" or gestures match the optical pad in the most responsive manner -don't forget it is a v. small pad!
Oh and for the buttons to send messages --- touch the screen directly with your finger --I don't think that the optical pad can be a button to press a select motion, anyway I haven't done that with the Aria.
The Aria is a pretty reliable little phone and I find it really dependable!
good luck!
