Backlight/Display question...

[pat2k8]

[Kay]

[pat2k8]

[acastell]

Please help...I have been on the phone with T Mobile for quite some time trying to get this question answered. They tell me the answer, but I just cannot beleive it.

Just got a 7100T today. The display blanks out after a few seconds...I set the backlight to stay on for 10 seconds to save battery. But, after 10 seconds, not only does the backlight go off, but the display goes blank.

T Mobile claims that this is normal. They liken it to my computer screen. Great, but my computer screen can be set to sleep after 2 hours. The longest delay on the 7100 is 2 min.

On my 7230, then the backlight was off, I was still able to see my display.

Is this normal for the 7100, if so, back to the store it goes...what good is an email device that has not display!?!

AC

[pharma1]

Yes that is normal for the 7100 series. I leave my backlight set to 1 minute, but turn it down to 75%. It seems to give a good ballence for usability and battery life.

[Mark Rejhon]

This is normal. The 7100 does not have a good transflective screen -- it uses a color LCD that requires a light to be read.

If you need a color LCD that can be read more easily in the sunlight, you need one of the 72XX series instead of the 71XX.

If you want a 7100-quality screen in a 72XX series, get an unlocked 7290 from a third party such as eBay (it's bright like the 7100, yet it's still readable in the sunlight like a 7230/7280), and register it on the T-Mobile network.

There are different types of color LCD's used in BlackBerries.

Transmissive TFT LCD: Can only be seen with a backlight (7100 series)
Transflective TFT LCD: Good quality outdoors, great quality indoors (Model 7290)
Reflective TFT LCD: Great quality outdoors, but very dim backlight (Model 7230)

The rage of the future is transflective LCD's, used in all newer full-keyboard BlackBerries (7290, 7250, 7520). Transflective LCD's are also used in the 77XX series too as well. Now, among the color BlackBerry models, here they are:

1. Transmissive LCD, Good With Backlight Only (Good Indoors Only)
7100 Series

2. Transflective LCD, Good With AND Without Backlight (Good Both Indoors And Outdoors)
7290, 7250, 7520, 7730, 7750, 7780

3. Reflective LCD, Good Without Backlight (Good Outdoors), But Has Dim Backlight (Bad Indoors)
7210, 7230, 7280, 7510

Now, if you are very unhappy, return the 7100 and get one of the BlackBerries in section #2.