[Mark Rejhon]

Very useful BlackBerry backlight utility, works very well, for those times you need this functionality enabled. Crossposted from this RIMROAD thread.

Forum member `deadstick` is the same author as the free open source BlackChat ICQ instant messaging software.

Originally Posted by deadstick

Howdy,

If you are like me, then you sometimes get sick of the backlight turning off on you and then you fumble around in the dark trying to turn it back on.... Sure, you can keep touching the thumbwheel every now and then but I get sick of that as well. As you can see I get sick easily

Well, with V4.0 of the OS, RIM finally gave access to developers to manipulate the backlight and so I whipped up a little program that will keep the backlight on indefinately until YOU decide to turn it off. V4.0 of the OS allows you to change duration and if available brightness, but the maximum time is only 2 minutes, which for me was still too short.

The program called BBLight will let you turn the backlight on and it will stay on until you turn it off. You click the BBLight icon in the ribbon to turn on and click it again to turn off. Real simple! You then go about with whatever you want and the backlight will stay on.

When you holster your BB and you have the backlight on, it will turn off, and once you unholster it comes back on for you. The only way to turn the backlight off is by clicking the BBLight icon in the ribbon or by turning off your BB.

If you are interested then you can download from:

Download BBLight [Link Edited]

This program is totally free but if you just love it so much donations are welcome via paypal at as it uses APIs that need to be signed and to get a program signed is not free

Hope you enjoy.

Chris Miles

PS: You must have V4.0 OS on your BB. I installed the Hong Kong version mentioned elsewhere in this forum with no problems, if your carrier doesn't offer V4.0. Also I've physically tested only on a BB7230. I've run the program on all the other models via the simulator with no issues so other models should work fine

NEW FEATURES

* Rearrange for sourceforge distribution V1.81 Beta
* Total redesign to accommodate new features:
- Turn light on with User Activity
- Turn light on when device is removed from holster
- Turn light on when external power is applied
- Turn light on at a specific time of day for a certain duration
* Fix bug in APIs with DateField constructor.

To download the utility, enter the web address directly on your BlackBerry. You can send the web address by email, and then click via your BlackBerry. Also, make sure you have BlackBerryOS 4.0 installed, for this utility to work. Be warned, this utility will kill your battery if you use it a lot!

Download BBLight

[rcg]

First this little utility rocks.

It would be great if you could toggle it on and off with the button on top of the 7100 - or at least turn it off that way as you would normally sans BBLight.

[Anuthand]

But a feature to set time of day for the app to take over would be nice.

[Mark Rejhon]

That would be a great little feature.

You may want to contact member 'deadstick' on RIMROAD, or 'deadstick-sf' on Sourceforge.net (deadstick-sf is the creator of the free BlackChat ICQ application), to suggest the feature of BBLight where it only turns on the light during evening and night hours.

[Nextel N8]

I see that this program appears to be helpful.. But how do you add a .jad to a blackberry. I thought it only works with .alx programs . i have a bb7520


thanx

[Mark Rejhon]

.jad files are over the air download.

You enter the web address in your BlackBerry browser and install wirelessly. Just copy and paste the web address into an email message, send to your BlackBerry, and click on the link on your BlackBerry using your thumbwheel.

[sirkeekles]

Yet another awesome application.
My biggest peeve with the 7510 is that the light button is the ONLY button that doesnt light up in the dark and its also the only button that cant be felt in the dark, so this feature does seem very helpful.

I've tested it out on my 7510 w/ 4.0 and it works flawlessly.

Thanks for providing this software.

[MadMedik]

I have tested it on my 7290 OS 3.8 (Rogers) and it works.

For those that might not be aware, the 7290 has a 2 level backlight (low and high). The application defaults to force the low level backlight on and remained on after several minutes. There are no settings in the program to default to high.

Point of interest: I noticed that the program does not disable button control of the backlight (perhaps this was intentional, but I haven't seen this mentioned anywhere as yet). Depressing the power button raises the backlight to the high level, as usual, and five minutes later, it was still on and in high mode. If you depress the button again, if turns the backlight off, but a moment later, the application turns it back on in the low mode.

Bottom line, this little routine does the trick on the 7290, even with OS 3.8, and doesn't interfere with the high/low choice.

Good work!

MM

[rlindsay]

Downloaded the app last night and love it! I'm using a 7510 with v4.0 no problems at all. Since I keep phone holstered nearly all the time, I keep the app running. The light is off in the holster but always on when I pull it out.

Geat job dev!

[VCI_Cell]

I actually asked for this program out loud a few days after I got my BlackBerry ... something that could automatically turn on the backlight upon removal from the holster. This is simply a jem, Mark. I hope you send Deadstick a link to this thread to show him our appreciation.

[digdug]

Using Nextel 7510 with 4.0. Worked great.

What I did was move the icon to the very last position in the ribbon. That way I can leave it off to save battery, but if I find myself in a dark place and need to use it, I can hit escape a bunch of times to get to the ribbon page (worst case), and then scroll the track wheel down a bunch of times until I'm sure I'm at the end and then press the track wheel to activate the backlight.

I've tried testing it in different scenarios and it's working great for me (at least until there's a better solution).

Thanks. Great app.

[mmorgan]

I went to the URL given above to download the program but get a "page not found". Did the directory disappear for some reason?

[Mark Rejhon]

It should appear shortly on the same download page as BBToday (I have now updated the BlackBerry PowerToys thread to point to the new download location of BBToday).

When that happens, I'll update this thread. As of now, BBLight is temporarily not available. (Unless you get a copy from a buddy)

[AddictedToBB]

I just downloaded bblight-1.0 from http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/blackberrytools/ and working great on my Cingular 7290 / OS3.8.0.145.

[Reeder]

:D
I've tried using the red wagon link and it is indeed no longer available.

I also downloaded the link - http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/blackberrytools/ but was not able to get the application loader to "see" the program and thus load it into the application menu.

I aslo tried sending the above link to my BB7520 and clicking on the link but could not find any link to load the program to my unit.

A discovery for those of us who are a little less computer savvy. I discovered that the application loader won't or can't recognize a program until it is unzipped. After unzipping the program the application loader recognized and loaded the program, which WORKS GREAT.

Thanks for such a great program. I also have discovered that after opening my case and the light comes on that this program will keep the bright setting on as long as the case is open.

Thanks again
Reeder

[mmorgan]

Hi all,

Thanks for the link to Sourceforge.net. Got the program, installed it and it's working great. Getting a 7520 next week (currently have a 7510) and can't wait to try it out there. :D

Thanks again!

[Reeder]

Hi MMorgan:

You'll enjoy using the 7520. another great program that I've just started using is Marks pocket day which is now ready for downloading. Go here www.crossriversystems.com
and have a look.

Reeder

[Mark Rejhon]

AddictedtoBB/Reeder:
Thanks for the new link! I have now updated the main post, and made an easy-click link:

Download BBLight

[hi-tech]

Originally Posted by digdug

Using Nextel 7510 with 4.0. Worked great.

What I did was move the icon to the very last position in the ribbon. That way I can leave it off to save battery, but if I find myself in a dark place and need to use it, I can hit escape a bunch of times to get to the ribbon page (worst case), and then scroll the track wheel down a bunch of times until I'm sure I'm at the end and then press the track wheel to activate the backlight.

I've tried testing it in different scenarios and it's working great for me (at least until there's a better solution).

Thanks. Great app.

Good advice, works very good like this.

Now all that is needed is an auto-on option to turn the backlight on with the press of any key, regardless if the phone is locked or not. Forgetting that this on and the BB is not holstered would drain the battery unecessarily.

[Mark Rejhon]

True...

BBLight is an open source program, so someone could modify the BBLight source code to improve its functionality