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Could anyone let me know if the backlight sheds some light under the silkscreen to enable accurately tapping its buttons and writing in the correct fields in absolute darkness?

Yes it does. At least on the Palm Pilot Professional I have. I know the newer Palms and the Visor use a "negative" backlighting, but I would assume it would work just as well in total darkness.

If you're asking if you can see the "Apps", "Menu", "Calc", "Find", keyboard and number pad buttons with the backlight, the answer is no.

The fact that the Visor/Palm IIIx/Palm V have negative backlighting doesn't affect the graffiti area. But you should be able to see the screen's boundaries, so you can get close. I'm not usually writing in total darkness, so if I need to hit the "Apps" button, I can kind of see where it is anyway.

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Chazzz Fishburn
[email protected]



[This message has been edited by Chazzz (edited 10-03-1999).]

Thanks for the reponses,
So writing in darkness would be a challenge, but I believe if one could hit the abc (keyboard) command it shows up in the illuminated screen, right? The problem would be finding the abc button on the graffiti pad. Sometimes I would need to write in darkness, that's why I'm asking. This certainly does'nt deter me from ordering a Visor of course.

I find writing in the dark to be a bit hard but not impossable. I have TealEcho from TealPoint software (it's about $10 or so). It shows the grafitti stroke as I write it. It helped me understand why my D's and P's got confused. It also makes it way easyer to write in the dark.

With practice you can also remember where the application and menu buttons are.

Just a quick aside: one way to clear up confusion between a 'D' and a 'P' is to change the way you make your 'D'. I know that sounds obvious, but bear with me.

If you draw the 'shortcut' stroke (looks like a cursive lowercase 'L'), but go from right-to-left instead of left-to-right (just drawing it backwards), that should be a 'D'.

Getting back to the topic at hand, I'm wondering how often someone is going to writing in complete (or near complete) darkness. I'm not saying you won't, I'm just curious as to where you are when you'll be unable to see the graffiti area?

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Chazzz Fishburn
[email protected]

Actually, i think I may be a bit odd in this regard but i can enter data MUCH better into my palm when I am not only not looking at the data entry area, but not looking at the screen at all. I make almost NO ERRORS while using graffitti on a child's SWING as long as I don't try and look at the screen. As such, i have absolutely no problem entering data in the dark, and during movies and stuff at school i take notes without even turning on the blacklight, except maybe once in awhile to make sure the data is entered properly. I even wish there was a little led on the palm so i could have it "on" with the screen completely off (so it reads pressure but doesn't display anyhting. Then, I could write and save batteries.


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Tom Alphin III - [email protected] - www.students.bucknell.edu/alphin/

I'm with pshlortz, I write much better while NOT looking at the screen. Maybe its the same as when you are trying to carrying a full glass of liquid and trying not to spill it. Not looking at the drink is the trick.

It's not like there's anything to see (unless you've got something like tealecho), and all the characters are just one on top of the other. So not having a back-lit grafitti(sp?) area has never been a problem for me.

tyler

[This message has been edited by tyler (edited 10-06-1999).]

It hasn't been a "problem" to not have the graphiti area lit up, but I have found it to be a little disconcerting.

I will have to try the write without looking at all trick.