[EalingBB]

I suspect this has been asked before but does anyone know if it is possible to get the keypad backlight to stay on permanently when the screen is illuminated? Its driving me nuts that when I am doing an email in dim (but not dark) light the keypad illumination does not come on. I know I can put a finger over the led sensor at top right but this is really not ideal as when the light does come on that way it only stays illuminated for 30 seconds before going off and one has to cover the LED sensor again, which is very frustrating.

Personally I think this is a failing of the Bold and I do not understand why (as far as I am aware) one cannot get an option to have the key backlight on with the screen - or at least for longer than 30 seconds in one go.

[Tom Munch]

That drove me nuts when I got my Bold too, so when I put egrips on my Bold I covered most of the sensor up. I also set the backlight to not automatically dim. It still does dim & brighten a little, but the keyboard stays on almost all the time now.

I would LOVE to see a utility to turn the keyboard backlight on at all times. Are there any developers looking to make an easy buck out there? Maybe there isn't access to the code for the keyboard backlight, but if there is access I would buy a utility to control this.

[novalovr66]

Go to options, screen/keyboard, turn auto backlight dim to off! Hope that helps ya!

[EalingBB]

Originally Posted by novalovr66

Go to options, screen/keyboard, turn auto backlight dim to off! Hope that helps ya!

Thanks but that is not the answer. It is already set to off, but all that does it stop the screen illumination from dimming down, it has no effect on the keypad backlight. I also have backlight timeout set to maximum 2 mins which means the screen illumination stays on for 2 mins, but unfortunately it does not make the keypad stay on for 2 mins - that goes out after just 30 seconds.

[novalovr66]

What OS are you running?

[koleary19067]

there are software that will do this. One is BBLight

[EalingBB]

Originally Posted by koleary19067

there are software that will do this. One is BBLight

BBLight. Not heard of that before. By installing that it will enable the keypad to be either permanently illuminated or at least its illumination duration extended? Do you know where I can obtain this app from?

[koleary19067]

Do a search and you should be able to find it.

[EalingBB]

Downloaded BBLight but unless I'm missing something this does not have any effect on the keypad backlight, just the screen illumination. If anyone has downloaded BBLight and found a way to set the keypad to illuminate whenever the screen is alight I'd greatly appreciate knowing what the settings are.

[davistld01]

Thanks for this thread, EalingBB...because this has driven me nuts ever since I got my Bold. I'll be typing along and suddenly, the keyboard backlight goes out on me...and it's a drag, especially in a low-light situation where I would like to see the keys...

Please let me know if BBLight works...or if you find a workaround to keep the keypad lit as long as the screen is.

[EalingBB]

Not found an answer yet, frustratingly, I wish I had. Hopefully someone out there will be able to give us a resolution but I suspect at present the option does not exist. I have found BBLight useful for one feature which is so that when an email comes in the screen automatically lights up which it did not do before.

[Paul Bowles]

Dont have an answer yet but both myself and a friend of mine had noticed the same thing and its really annoying. If I find any way to work around it I will post here.

[mooreke]

Did anyone find a solution to this issue?

[funbusman]

This is really insane. How can this shortcoming exist and not yet be resolved? I have used the Curve 8330 for the past year and a half with no issues whatsoever. I went to the Tour after a lot of research on the web into user satisfaction and issues and this is one thing that didn't come up at all. But after I lost a full 24 hours to setting it up and getting familiar with it, and ordering all the accessories... chargers, batteries, etc, for it, within the next 12 hours this incredibly frustrating issue popped up, and man it's severe!

With the 8330, I never took notice of the behavior of the keypad backlight. It was on a few occasions a bit quirky and annoying but I kept working and didn't really give it a second thought. But it had much more legible alphanumerics on the keys than the Tour!

I'm right to where I can barely even read the Tour's keys if I'm a bit overtired and fatigued unless I have reading glasses around... unless the backlight is on, in which case they light right up and are very easy to read!

But what the "F" is this nonsense? I've already spent many hours in the past 24 hours just trying to solve this issue, it's THAT important to me! I may actually have to send the darn thing back and declare it unusable -- solely due to this one ridiculous issue.

Can anybody justify how they could fail to recognize the importance of giving users control over this behavior? It's beyond words! How could it NOT be annoying as can be to a great many users? What would possibly be lost if the user had control over this behavior? I wouldn't mind having to click "Yes" to a warning message every hour or so saying the battery life will suffer if that's what it takes.

This is in my opinion absolutely one of the stupidest design decisions I have ever seen in a piece of high-tech equipment.

Why do I feel sure that Apple would never make such a stupid, ridiculous design choice? And until now I've been a dyed-in-the-wool BlackBerry addict (Ixxx8217;m a business user xxx8211; BES user) since the first time I got my hands on my first one. I would never use an iPod. I want a business tool, not a toy.

Which is the point! What the heck kind of business tool is this? Are they joking?

More importantly, what do we do now???

Surely a developer is out there who will stumble across this thread (and others like it -- do a Google search on the subject and then start a few threads asking opinions about it)xxx8230; and who can see the tremendous market opportunity if a utility can be devised for it. Though Ixxx8217;m sure it takes an OS hack.

I'm a steadfast believer in adhering to factory software, factory updates, etc. I never use any software that isn't rock solid and dependable, from the major names. I have no time to waste with beta software or no-name third party apps that might be quirky. And yet...

And yet, in this case, I would risk it in a heartbeat if the developer seemed reliable, simply because my alternative is to have a device that's already marginally reliable or functional right out of the box anyway!

Where do I go, BlackBerry? I'm a die-hard Verizon customer. I always thought I was smart and knew to stay with the best of the best. Do my homework. It's easy. I'm CEO of a small biotech company. Inquiry about the best technology is a piece of cake. And until now it seemed to be a no-brainer: BlackBerry and Verizon. Simple.

But now I'm convinced RIM is not so great of a company after all. This is just stupid.

Annoying, frustrating, ridiculous, idiotic... stupid! Pick a word.

I have a business to run, and it's costing me thousands of dollars in my time just trying to see if therexxx8217;s a way to resolve this (Ixxx8217;ve already been on the phone with RIM and Verizon today, and all over the web).

Now that Ixxx8217;m accepting the fact that I can't resolve it, Ixxx8217;m looking at having to go look for a different vendor and go through the return of this thing and then the setup and learning curve of something new.

All because of a really stupid design decision!

PLEASE somebody tell me there's a developer who can write a hack to fix this problem! I'll pay real money for it!

Better yet, RIM, if youxxx8217;re seeing this, FIX IT! NOW! PLEASE! And post here that you did. Ixxx8217;m subscribed to the thread and will know right away. Those of us who have posted here should all get the first copies of the corrected OS version. You should PM everyone in this thread, and then search the web for others.

FIX IT!!!!!!

(Sigh.)

[mhw100]

Did this ever get resolved because I'm noticing it to be an issue with the 9700 and yes it is annoying.

[Balaurul27]

Onestly, this doasn't happen on my BBB..

[maroot]

I have a BB 9630 - same short keyboard backlight issue. I too have been doing research on how to overcome this major design flaw to no avail.

I upgraded to the BB 9630 from a Treo 700. The Treo keyboard backlights beautifully. Timeout is the same as the screen. To me, it has the best QWERTY keyboard, size, feel, backlight. I wish the Treo 700 was thinner. So I upgraded to a serious "business class" smartphone - the Blackberry 9630.

After a few months using the 9630, I'm still frustrated with two things about the 9630 - the keyboard backlight and no touchscreen.

I'm seriously considering selling my 9630 on Craigslist and reactivating my Treo 700.

SERIOUSLY.

I

[maroot]

Originally Posted by funbusman

This is really insane. How can this shortcoming exist and not yet be resolved? I have used the Curve 8330 for the past year and a half with no issues whatsoever. I went to the Tour after a lot of research on the web into user satisfaction and issues and this is one thing that didn't come up at all. But after I lost a full 24 hours to setting it up and getting familiar with it, and ordering all the accessories... chargers, batteries, etc, for it, within the next 12 hours this incredibly frustrating issue popped up, and man it's severe!

With the 8330, I never took notice of the behavior of the keypad backlight. It was on a few occasions a bit quirky and annoying but I kept working and didn't really give it a second thought. But it had much more legible alphanumerics on the keys than the Tour!

I'm right to where I can barely even read the Tour's keys if I'm a bit overtired and fatigued unless I have reading glasses around... unless the backlight is on, in which case they light right up and are very easy to read!

But what the "F" is this nonsense? I've already spent many hours in the past 24 hours just trying to solve this issue, it's THAT important to me! I may actually have to send the darn thing back and declare it unusable -- solely due to this one ridiculous issue.

Can anybody justify how they could fail to recognize the importance of giving users control over this behavior? It's beyond words! How could it NOT be annoying as can be to a great many users? What would possibly be lost if the user had control over this behavior? I wouldn't mind having to click "Yes" to a warning message every hour or so saying the battery life will suffer if that's what it takes.

This is in my opinion absolutely one of the stupidest design decisions I have ever seen in a piece of high-tech equipment.

Why do I feel sure that Apple would never make such a stupid, ridiculous design choice? And until now I've been a dyed-in-the-wool BlackBerry addict (I’m a business user – BES user) since the first time I got my hands on my first one. I would never use an iPod. I want a business tool, not a toy.

Which is the point! What the heck kind of business tool is this? Are they joking?

More importantly, what do we do now???

Surely a developer is out there who will stumble across this thread (and others like it -- do a Google search on the subject and then start a few threads asking opinions about it)… and who can see the tremendous market opportunity if a utility can be devised for it. Though I’m sure it takes an OS hack.

I'm a steadfast believer in adhering to factory software, factory updates, etc. I never use any software that isn't rock solid and dependable, from the major names. I have no time to waste with beta software or no-name third party apps that might be quirky. And yet...

And yet, in this case, I would risk it in a heartbeat if the developer seemed reliable, simply because my alternative is to have a device that's already marginally reliable or functional right out of the box anyway!

Where do I go, BlackBerry? I'm a die-hard Verizon customer. I always thought I was smart and knew to stay with the best of the best. Do my homework. It's easy. I'm CEO of a small biotech company. Inquiry about the best technology is a piece of cake. And until now it seemed to be a no-brainer: BlackBerry and Verizon. Simple.

But now I'm convinced RIM is not so great of a company after all. This is just stupid.

Annoying, frustrating, ridiculous, idiotic... stupid! Pick a word.

I have a business to run, and it's costing me thousands of dollars in my time just trying to see if there’s a way to resolve this (I’ve already been on the phone with RIM and Verizon today, and all over the web).

Now that I’m accepting the fact that I can't resolve it, I’m looking at having to go look for a different vendor and go through the return of this thing and then the setup and learning curve of something new.

All because of a really stupid design decision!

PLEASE somebody tell me there's a developer who can write a hack to fix this problem! I'll pay real money for it!

Better yet, RIM, if you’re seeing this, FIX IT! NOW! PLEASE! And post here that you did. I’m subscribed to the thread and will know right away. Those of us who have posted here should all get the first copies of the corrected OS version. You should PM everyone in this thread, and then search the web for others.

FIX IT!!!!!!

(Sigh.)

I totally agree with you funbusman.

I feel so strongly about your comments that I feel people should read it again in case they skipped over it.

RIM are you reading this???