The limitations of the SpinBoxField

BlackBerry operating system 5.0 added the new SpinBoxField ui component. This is a slick looking and useful graphical element that also forms the basis of the DateTimePicker. An example of the DateTimePicker as used in the Twinkle application is pictured.

However the SpinBoxField has some major limitations. Unlike the ObjectChoiceField the SpinBoxField does not display over the other elements and therefore requires large buffers above and below it in order to give its intended look. As a result it can only really be used on a very sparsely populated form, or within its own popup screen, which the documentation actually suggests. This severely limits the usefulness of the object and prevents designs from using what would otherwise be a fun and good looking element.