Enough with the blue light already! [Archive]

Ed Hansberry

08-30-2002, 06:00 PM

I love my bluetooth combo T68 and iPAQ 3870, but enough with the blue light already. There has to be a less obtrusive way to let you know bluetooth is activated. The T68, in fact, has that funky B on the screen. Just leave it at that. The Pocket PC could have that B in the system tray or in the Start bar. I wouldn't mind the blinking light when there is an active connection, in fact, that would be nice. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2002/20020830-blueled.gif" /> I cannot stand using my iPAQ with the BT radio stack on. The light is annoying. Tried reading an ebook at night with that thing on? You'll go nuts. Modern day Chinese water torture. I use my T68 for an alarm clock on trips and I have to turn the BT stack off or the retina-burning blue flashing LED will keep me awake. The novelty has worn off OEMs. The LED is fine for active connections, but to have for the sake of having? Why not a red flashing LED for enabled IR? A purple flashing LED for WiFi? We could have different colors for 802.11b (purple) 802.11a (white) and 802.11x (black). What do you think? Am I the only one constantly turning the BT stacks on and off on my devices to keep from burning my rods and cones out?* It isn't like it's easy turning it on and off either. 3-5 taps on the iPAQ, more if a soft reset is required and about 13 on the T68.<!> *"Jerry my rods and cones are all screwed up!" - Kramer

kagayaki1

08-30-2002, 06:05 PM

LOL, 802.11 with a BLACK LIGHT?

I hear ya, Ed. Keep pushing for less blinking lights!

scottmag

08-30-2002, 06:15 PM

I love my bluetooth combo T68 and iPAQ 3870

Are you happy with the T68? I am considering one, with AT&T's new GSM coverage. I like the idea of Bluetooth integration, but I don't really care that much for the phone each time I look at it in a store. I have also read over at howardforums.com about poor reception compared to other phones. What's your experience with it?

What do you think?

Well, I think you were already teetering close to the edge. Blinking lights are definitely annoying though. I'd prefer a small strength meter made up of a few tiny LEDs in a row.

Scott

brianchris

08-30-2002, 06:19 PM

You are not alone Ed. At first, the blinking blue light on the T68 was a novelty.....a constant reminder that I was now outfitted with cutting edge wireless PAN technology (i.e. Bluetooth). However, relatively quickly, the flashing Blue light has become really annoying.

Two places in particular where it’s extra annoying for me: A (darkened) movie theater.....seems to always hit my wife in the eye no matter where she sits. AND, driving in the car at night.....the whole car gets lit up in a blue hue every three seconds.....I'm luck a 747 hasn't landed on my car at night :? , just like in that "405" movie going around the internet.

There are a couple differences between us, however:
1) I don't turn off the Bluetooth stack on the T68. To date, I've just "lived" with it.......we'll see how long I can take it....kind of like a techie "Survivor" show :wink:
2) I use an iPaq 3835, and therefore keep a Socket Bluetooth CF card in my iPaq at all times. The benefit of the Socket card is (drum roll please), NO blinking lights what so ever. Indeed, it has the "funky B logo" in the taskbar of the Pocket PC OS to indicate whether the Bluetooth stack is loaded or not.

Also, don't forget about the blinking green light on the T68 when you're in a GSM covered area....or is there a way to turn that one off?

Oh well......the things we put up with to be connected......we're like walking Christmas trees :)

-Brian

T-Will

08-30-2002, 06:35 PM

Just take a black marker and color over the LED.

Arne Hess

08-30-2002, 06:36 PM

I use my T68 for an alarm clock on trips and I have to turn the BT stack off or the retina-burning blue flashing LED will keep me awake.
You can also switch off the phone. It will awake if you setup a alarm time. Also it's better to switch off cellphones if you put it near to you during night!
What do you think? Am I the only one constantly turning the BT stacks on and off on my devices to keep from burning my rods and cones out?* It isn't like it is easy turning it on and off either. 3-5 taps on the iPAQ, more if a soft reset is required and about 13 on the T68.<!>
For me it's only two taps to switch off/on the Bluetooth stack on the iPAQ and also on the T68(I) it's pretty fast with the "Shortcuts" functionality.
However, mostly I don't switch off Bluetooth as it (the LEDs) doesn't disturbs me so much...

normaldude

08-30-2002, 06:38 PM

Masking tape

denivan

08-30-2002, 06:41 PM

The blinking light of my T68i is maddening ! Really, it's the most annoying thing I've ever seen. When at first I got, my girlfriend got up at night and thought it was storming outside, she thought the blue flashes were lightning ;) Now I have to turn off my phone when I go to sleep or go to the cinema. This really annoys me, because normally I keep my phone on vibrate for receiving text messages in the movie theater, but this blue light is so intence that it shines through my shirt pocket and even through my white dockers pants. Plus : everytime someone sees your phone, they ask what the blue light is, and you have to explain it's bluetooth and give a little demonstration etc. etc. So, maybe we should start a new group :

Citizens are Raging Against Phoneleds ! Yeah, that's right, we're CRAP !
;)

igreen

08-30-2002, 06:47 PM

I'm afraid until Marketing Wizards change you will always be haunted by blinky lights. Nothing makes a Marketing Guy drool like a blinky light.

08-30-2002, 06:52 PM

I'm afraid until Marketing Wizards change you will always be haunted by blinky lights. Nothing makes a Marketing Guy drool like a blinky light.

it's interesting. i'd guess that sony ericsson did many focus groups and testing and people said "i want that" but in real life, and actual use, it's annoying. the marketing - engineering folks often listen to what customers say they want, as opposed to watching them.

cheers,
pt

Carlos

08-30-2002, 06:58 PM

I don't care at all that it blinks during the day. Not visible if it's in the holster, and having it blink through cargo pants is actually amusing. In the charging cradle on the nightstand, it makes a useful night light. Doesn't bother me since it's right behind my head.

What is really, extremely annoying and somewhat unsafe is the fact that both lights just stay on all the time when it is in the car kit. Of course, I mounted the cradle right by the top of the dash so I don't take my eyes off the road when dialing. However, at night on a dark road, that blue light is just blinding. I've taken to tossing a napkin over it. How dumb.

denivan

08-30-2002, 07:09 PM

Just to add something. My former cell phones were one Nokia and alot of Siemens phones. Now I see that my T68i has a green/yellow 'everything is okay light'. Why is this light needed ? I never missed it on my other phones, and I think it's kinda stupid to drain battery with no use at all. Reminds me a bit of the Simpsons episode where Homer makes an alarm that sounds every five seconds if everything is okay ;)

Jimmy Dodd

08-30-2002, 07:12 PM

Ed,

I don't have a T68 or an iPaq. Is the blinking LED as annoying as the front page of Pocket PC Thoughts is now that it has a blue, blinking gif?

:wink:

Carlos

08-30-2002, 07:29 PM

Ed Hansberry

08-30-2002, 07:33 PM

Ed,

I don't have a T68 or an iPaq. Is the blinking LED as annoying as the front page of Pocket PC Thoughts is now that it has a blue, blinking gif?

:wink:
Yes. You can all suffer with me for the next 3 days until it scrolls off the front page. :wink: By Monday, you'll be ok. I'll still have the flashing LED's. :?

brianchris

08-30-2002, 07:52 PM

Ed,

I don't have a T68 or an iPaq. Is the blinking LED as annoying as the front page of Pocket PC Thoughts is now that it has a blue, blinking gif?

:wink:

LOL....

JonnoB

08-30-2002, 07:58 PM

If you have your blue light blinking in your car kit above dashboard level... some people may pull off the road thinking you are about to give them a citation for a traffic violation.

TMAN

08-30-2002, 08:21 PM

I too wish there was a way to turn this off. For the record, I tried the black marker a few weeks ago. The marker solution does not work very well at all. It just smears and never creates a smooth solid black coating so it looks like a bunch of blue lights going off at the same time.

There is a thread over at Brighthand from someone who wanted the blue light on their non-BT iPAQ.

http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=f41ccc4bde276960289228b0633b6273&threadid=58494

Jason Lee

08-30-2002, 08:22 PM

Aww, come on guys... The blinking blue light can't be all bad. Look what it did for K-Mart... ;)

Ed Hansberry

08-30-2002, 08:25 PM

Aww, come on guys... The blinking blue light can't be all bad. Look what it did for K-Mart... ;)
Aren't they in bankruptcy? See what the blue light does? :lol:

Irrational

08-30-2002, 08:26 PM

Actually, mine flashes the green LED whenever I sync wirelessly.

Carlos

08-30-2002, 08:28 PM

Hmmmm...I think I have an idea. I have this tint paint I used on my motorcycle's turn signals. I bet it would be just the trick. Will report once I've tried it.

BTW, http://www.tsixtyeight.com is a great resource for info on these phones.

pradike

08-30-2002, 08:48 PM

:lol:
TWO WORDS:

DUCT TAPE

It solves almost any problem.

Ed Hansberry

08-30-2002, 08:52 PM

:lol:
TWO WORDS:

DUCT TAPE

It solves almost any problem.
You only need two tools in life. Duct tape and a hammer. If it moves and shouldn't - use the duct tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the hammer.

Jason Lee

08-30-2002, 08:53 PM

TWO WORDS:

DUCT TAPE

It solves almost any problem.

There ya go. Like they say, if you can't Duct it.....

Carlos

08-30-2002, 08:57 PM

Actually, I believe in the trio of tools. Duct tape to stop it, WD-40 to make it go, and the hammer for the delicate adjustments.

Jonathon Watkins

08-30-2002, 09:00 PM

Yes. You can all suffer with me for the next 3 days until it scrolls off the front page. :wink: By Monday, you'll be ok. I'll still have the flashing LED's. :?
You're such a caring guy Ed to share the joy with us. :lol: I had wondered how bad it would get when I read about the blinking lights in the spec.

The LOOX has a hardware slider to switch BT on and off - nice idea and very fast and handy.

adamz

08-30-2002, 10:01 PM

it's interesting. i'd guess that sony ericsson did many focus groups and testing and people said "i want that" but in real life, and actual use, it's annoying. the marketing - engineering folks often listen to what customers say they want, as opposed to watching them.

Exactly. And that's why we've got Mac OS X selling to consumers who think it's cool, while the actual users can't stand the animated garbage that gets in their way when trying to work. It's also why we have Windows XP, however Micrsoft invested a bit more in HCI research and gave users the ability to turn off all the annoyances aimed at consumers who requested "coolness". Then there's Macromedia Flash, which has long been catering to these "designers" who want to create cool animations and graphically intense interactivity. Only recently have they begun to realize that such useless eyecandy can greatly impair task oriented navigation and usability.

As for the blinking blue light, I don't believe black electrical tape has been suggested yet. That's what I used on my old car's "check engine" light.

njb42

08-30-2002, 10:02 PM

I also have a T68, along with my iPAQ 3850 and Ambicom BT card (which thankfully has no blinking lights). The T68's BT light is much brighter than the signal/service light; I wonder why?

Anyway, I've found that the easiest solution is to simply turn the T68 upside down so that the light is facing the desk, bed, or whatever. This mutes it considerably. The speaker will still be loud enough to wake you up.

So does anyone else remember the old poster that used to grace most computer rooms, the one that said in fake-German, "nicht touchen das blinkenlights"? :D

Chris Forsberg

08-30-2002, 11:02 PM

I think we started using the "two body" solution about the same time, Ed, but I'm still fond of the blue light - I guess that confirms I'm either a geek or a mosquito.

But I use it the way you want - to tell me that I'm connected, even if I do it manually. Turning it on and off is much faster than actually making the connection anyway (even with GPRS). I would like to have the option to turn it off, but there are situations I would like to have it on. Examples are when I'm doing presentations, want to do a client show off, when I'm in bed reading something boring and want to stay awake, and in the car at night when I'm sleepy.

And yes, I think the first page looks better with the blinking gif :wink:

sullivanpt

08-31-2002, 12:28 AM

Just to add my 2 cents, I'm equally annoyed with the XDA's GSM radio on green flashing light. What is it, some European law that all GSM phones must have a flashing signal in range LED?! The flashing LED is very disturbing during meetings and I frequently have to turn the radio off. Which entirely defeats the purpose of having a conencted device. :cry:

Electrical tape would be a fine solution, but then I can't see the blinking light when I want it, like for meeting reminders!

(Yeah, maybe I'm difficult to please! :D ).

st63z

08-31-2002, 02:46 AM

Can't you just swap the LEDs for a more soothing color at places like www.logosunlimited.co.uk?

P.S. I keep dropping my new T68i, argh! Today it dropped on concrete floor underneath some really dirty warehouse racks (a couple of days ago it got all scratched when dropped on sidewalk). It was all dirty and dusty and yes, nasty, I was really tempted to wash it under running water... :(

Two things, it can be slippery, and the ICT-13 belt clip holder isn't as secure as I'd hoped. At least the second T68i is all nice and snug fully enclosed in the Krusell case...

hulksmash

08-31-2002, 03:18 PM

Black electrical tape will absorb the light, look better than Duct tape, and eliminate the blue light when you are tired of it. If not, then take the hammer to it to gently extinguish the blue light. 8)

Arne Hess

08-31-2002, 05:18 PM

Just to add my 2 cents, I'm equally annoyed with the XDA's GSM radio on green flashing light. What is it, some European law that all GSM phones must have a flashing signal in range LED?!
Just let me add my 2 (€uro) Cents to your US Cents:

1st: The xda is designed and built in Taiwan, so it's not an European law... ;-)
2nd: I like the LED because it gives me a fast view if I'm connected to the network of not. While I have just a look on my cell phone to verify it, on a Pocket PC Phone Edition - without this notification LED - I have to switch on the screen first to verify if I'm still connected. Therefore it's pretty useful from my point of view. Same with the network LED on the T68(I) because there you have to press a key first to disable the "screen (or in this case battery) saver" and watch the status.

Pony99CA

08-31-2002, 07:13 PM

I agree with the uselessness of the green light. Quite stupid. There's no power drain issue though; I did the math on power consumption and it comes out to five minutes of standby over the full life of the battery (several days).

Motorola first did the "I'm on" light with the brick phones. At that time the display had to be kept off since it was EL (power-hungry). The light let you know the phone was on, which was an issue at a time when standby was in the 8 hour range *without* making any calls. Today, it just seems totally useless.
On my StarTac, I can turn the green service light off. If you find it useless, turn it off.

However, it can be useful. For example, in a theater, maybe the light will be a reminder to turn the damn phone off to avoid bothering other patrons. :-)

I was watching "XXX" and someone's cell phone went off, which was annoying. (More annoying, but funnier, was the guy who was snoring quite loudly near the end of the movie.)
:sleeping:

Steve

dMores

07-05-2004, 10:45 AM

if anyone has ever seen a macintosh "breathe" they'll know that's one of the coolest ways of indicating a machine or application is active.

i'd like my pdas and cellphones to
1) blink in sync, meaning, the "device is on" and "bluetooth on" LEDs schould blink at the same rate
2) slowly fade in and fade out, just like my powerbook does when it's sleeping

oh wait:
(http://www.idfuel.com/index.php?p=178&more=1&c=1)
Adding to this, dimming must be done electronically, which can add to the cost. This is the reason why most adjustable brightness bike lights just switch on more LEDs to be brighter, so that they avoid complex circuitry.well i'd be willing to pay the extra buck for this !

starbot

07-09-2004, 04:53 PM

as long as were bringing up really old threads-
try living with the breathing charging light of the v600- the thing is huge, and fills the room with blinding white/redish light(i believe this can be turned off but i like it's other notifing features)

oh and it's bluetooth light is also very bright(thankfully only blinking when active connection... which is most of the time with my ipaq2215 on gprs-oh wait that isnt working very well since my switch from t610 :roll: )

http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/showpic.php?img=/imgs/pics/reviews/Motorola_v600_logo.jpg

JvanEkris

07-09-2004, 07:40 PM

On our board some people were actualy stopped by the police. They were using an Ipaq 3970 for car-navigation with a bluetooth GPS (some idiotic brand making it completely transparent blue, with indicating lights for being connected and being having a fix).

This resulted in two blue flashing lights on the midlle of the dashboard: something that looks remarkably similar like the blue flashing light that is used by the police in civilian cars. Although the officer did understand the situation, the persons in question were ordered to cover it up or get a fine.

I read on some german boards about the same stories, however the german police did not have much humor and confiscated the complete set 8O .

Jaap

dMores

07-11-2004, 07:25 PM

hmm ... i really did dig up an ancient thread.

:oops:

Ed Hansberry

07-12-2004, 02:17 AM

Hugh Nano

04-07-2005, 04:17 PM

hmm ... i really did dig up an ancient thread.
Yeah, but 2 years later, my iPAQ 2215 and even newer iPAQs still have the annoying blinking light. My Nokia 3650 though has no visible LED, which is fine. I leave the BT radio on the phone on 24/7.

Yep. And now, of course, you can add the Axim x50v to the list. Don't the manufacturers listen to consumer concerns at all?

BTW, anyone know of a registry hack to turn off the blinking lights on the x50v?