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Showing posts with label Backlit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Backlit. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Backlit keyboard

How important are they?

Eventually, one of the most underestimated in notebooks features today is the backlit keyboard. This is not and has never really been a problem with desktop computers for I don't know many people who enjoy working in an Office in the dark. With a laptop of today, there are very few places people will not try to get work done. The most common useful for backlit keyboard places are dark amphitheatres (for powerpoint presentations) and business meetings with similar parameters. Another time, I believe that the backlit keyboard a gift from the sky is on a night flight. Yes, you could turn on the light yellowish crummy above you not bothering not only the person beside him to try to sleep, but almost do yourself queazy by the raw color caused by light cast. Instead of having to disrupt a complete stranger I would be sharing a cramped space with during a few hours, the automatic backlight provides exactly what I need to see clearly each key on my keyboard.

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, some keyboards have a "retro" function where lights behind each key LEDs light up when the light sensors considers necessary. This way if you are in the dark, the keys will be lit, making it easier to type. While power touch type has been watching the keyboard only once in awhile thing, it's nice to be able to correct an error without having to squint at the keys.

This feature was originally intended for businessmen, who are most often in the dark rooms and dimly lit airline cabins. Today, many jobs requires the use of portable computers outside of the actual working day. This means the possibility of work does not in ideal conditions, as a well lit Office. This was the most big disappointment when you use a netbook for a weekend has in return, I couldn't see the keys while on the plan. This feature is usually only on the higher end, such as the professional line or business models. While it comes standard on all the macbook Pros and the Sony vaio Z series, he is not available on the Macbook. This is considered an important feature that a mod used to be available online for the iBook (he had a translucent keyboard) to add some LEDs, him giving a backlit keyboard. Lenovo ThinkPad line goes to this subject in a different way. Instead of having the LEDs behind each key, it has a light that is sitting next to the camera above the screen. Light is not automatic, so it must be enabled and disabled via the keyboard, but it turns on the keyboard. I believe that it is an option of low prices and perhaps more robust way to do it. If it does the same thing as a backlit keyboard, I think it's more embarrassing.

I have not seen this feature standard on any sub $1000 for most of the time, but it is scalable option of the United Nations for some machines such as the M645 of Toshiba. The 13-inch Macbook Pro and Macbook have identical specs except for a different material for monohulls and fewer ports, but it may be a solid reason to intensify the $200 more expensive Macbook Pro. I was very disappointed to see that macbook Air has is no longer a backlit keyboard. Honestly, this could be a deal breaker for those looking to it for a laptop light business. While the keyboard lights are cheap and available online, it's pretty UN - Mac like having whip light USB each time that you have to work in the dark.


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Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Backlit Keyboards

How Important are they?

Possibly one of the most underrated features in laptops today is the backlit keyboard. This is not, and never really was, an issue with desktops for I don’t know many people who enjoy working at a desk in the dark. With a laptop these days, there are very few places people will not try to get work done. The most common useful places for backlit keyboards are darkened lecture halls (for powerpoint presentations) and business meetings with similar settings. Another time I find that the backlit keyboard a godsend is on a night flight. Yeah, you could turn on the crummy yellowish light above you, bothering not only the person next to trying to sleep, but almost making yourself queazy by the gross color cast caused by the light. Instead of having to disrupt a complete stranger that I would be sharing a cramped space with for a few hours, the automatic backlight provides exactly what I need to clearly see every key on my keyboard.

For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, certain keyboards have a “backlit” function where LED lights behind each key light up when the light sensors deems necessary. This way if you are in the dark, the keys will light up, making it easier to type. While being able to touch type has made looking at the keyboard only a once in a while thing, it is nice to be able to correct a mistake without having to squint at the keys.

This feature was originally targeted towards businessmen,who are  the ones most often in dark meeting rooms and dimly lit airline cabins. Today, many jobs require the use of laptops outside of the actual work day. This means the possibility of not working in ideal conditions such as a well lit office. This was the biggest letdown when using a netbook for a weekend a while back, I couldn’t see the keys while on the plane. This feature is typically only on the higher end models, such as the professional or business line. While it comes standard on all Macbook Pros and the Sony Vaio Z series, it is not available on the Macbook. This was seen as such an important feature, that a mod used to be available online for the iBook(it had a translucent keyboard) to add LEDs giving it a backlit keyboard. Lenovo’s ThinkPad line goes about this in a different way. Instead of having LEDs behind each key, it has a light that sits next to the camera above the screen. The light is not automatic, so it has to be turned on and off via the keyboard, but it does light up the keyboard. I believe this is a lower cost option and possibly more robust way of doing it. Though it does the same thing as a backlit keyboard, I do think it is more distracting.

I have not seen this feature standard on any sub $1000 for the most part, but it is un upgradeable option for certain machines such as the Toshiba M645. The 13 inch Macbook Pro and Macbook have identical specs except for a different material for the unibody, and less ports, but this may be a solid reason to step up to the $200 more expensive Macbook Pro. I was very disappointed to see that the Macbook Air no longer has a backlit keyboard. This could honestly be a deal breaker for those looking at it for a lightweight business laptop. While keyboard lights are cheap and available online, it is pretty un-Mac like to have whip out a USB light every time you have to work in the dark.


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