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.
|