[Rocketman]

hi everybody, i'm new here ..
i am buying a powerbook and debating on whether or not getting the keyboard with the backlight .. what do you guys think of the light is it worth it?
i was wondering if someone can put up a picture of what it actually looks like in the dark. and another thing i know it on the website pictures it looks baby blue but apparently its normal clear light...


just wondering .. stupid question .. i want to buy the powerbook G4 15" ... but after reading a few of the threads on this board .. i am wondering when the powerbook g5s are comming out .. is it in april?

[fizzlemynizzle]

i didn't find it was worth it, i always left it disabled. the light being cast off of the screen would shine on the lit keys, causing them to be unreadable. It was easier to read them with the backlight turned off since the letters were black being illuminated by the glow of the display.

[rsgunther]

I personally really like it. I think the ambient light sensors are really great. They adjust the screen brightness and the keyboard backlighting automatically.

On other laptops I find myself adjusting the screen brightness based on lighting conditions. On the my PBG4 1.25GHZ w/Superdriver, it does it all automatically. Really a nice feature in my opinion.

[Drakino]

The ambient light sensors are what really makes the feature worthwhile. With the poor battery life, you might as well get it to at least ensure the brightness of the screen isn't drawing more power then needed, since that can account for up to 14% of the power drain on the battery.

Powerbook G5's doubtful any time soon. The next update will see a bump to 1.5gHz most likely. G5 Powerbooks, don't expect to see them until the end of this year, or even 2005.

[euphras]

Quote:"They adjust the screen brightness and the keyboard backlighting automatically."


As a side note: wait until your PB gets one year and surplus. Then you screen brightness will go down so much that you wish to keep it 100 % all time (even under normal room conditions away from Windows)

*sigh*

[Rocketman]

i wish it was baby blue .. i think i'm gonna get the backlight .. but i was wondering .. anybody have any pictures taken that show how it looks in the dark .. just curious .. thx alot for everybody's input

[mdewberry]

Hey Rocketman,

I have the 17" PB with the backlight, and to be quite honest, I never use it. I thought it was cool at first, but once the coolness factor wears off, I haven't used it since.

Also, one issue I had (and others on this forum) is that the backlight is not distributed evenly - it is really bright under the letter rows, pretty bright under the numbers row, and not as bright (and almost dark under the function keys/spacebar rows. I had the keyboard replaced three times to attempt to repair it - it slightly improved the third time.

The other downside is the screen brightness decreases with the keyboard lit. I like a bright screen, so I was disspointed with this functionality.

So, kinda cool at first, but the screen does a nice job of lighting the keyboard - the backlight is more of a poorly designed novelty that wears off quickly.

Good luck!

Mike

[Crusoe]

Here's a picture of my 15". I find it useful kicking back on the couch in low light it comes in handy often.

http://www.chadhoc.com/Powerbooks.html

[Rocketman]

thx for the pictures .. you don't see much of the light .. i'm gonna get it regardless i think its cute .. hehehe ..

[EdipisReks]

the backlit keyboard is more of a gimmick than anything, but the ALS system for the screen is great.