This is my first BB and prior to this, I would always press the end button to turn the backlight on for my cellphones.

I noticed with the blackberry, lets say you left an app open and the screen when black; you come back later and want to turn the backlight back on, using the end button will exit you out. I've tried using the pearl, but that often brings up a menu or selects something.

What i've done so far is assign the left key as nothing and I click that.

So i'm just curious what everyone else does?

I usually just push the trackball in to wake my device. Haven't had any problems as far as selecting something inadvertently. The odd time the menu will come up but it's not really a big deal. For the most part I dont leave any apps running on the homescreen and I also have a password lock so it doesn't matter what key i use to wake.

Try using the mute key on the top to wake the device. That shouldn't do anything to interfere with any apps you have running and at least you'll still have use of the left convenience key.

I use the ESC key (right of the trackball)...hasn't done anything negative to anything running in the background. I tried the END key, and was experiencing the same problems you were.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8100/4.2.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

I use the Pearl on the Pearl.

ESC key

i thought the esc key would exit you out...but it doesn't....

thanks....

I use the 0 key to bring the light back on without making any changes to the running aplication.
Works well on games to.!

Any key works!
I kept noticing that when I dialed manually from sleep, that I was missing the first number (or letter). Turns out that no matter which key you press, that keystroke does not input a character, it just wakes her up.

volume up or down key!

Volume down baby

I sorta... randomly punch the keyboard, I'm quite abusive. But, I think the majority of my fingers lands on the trackball.

Wirelessly posted (Opera/8.01 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/3.0.6306/1528; en; U; ssr))

Its the 0 key for me. Seems to work well without interrupting anything so far.

Volume up and down key

Volume down

I'm with Mandizzle: the mute key is the way to go. If you're in the habit of "holstering" the phone with that button, it's pretty natural to press it to wake the phone up, too.

I use the mute button but I alwaya put on standby when I holster to precent misdials and mute buttons the only way out of it