A Fix For The Pox That Is The Blinking LED?

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.modaco.com/Developer-Hackers-Win-a-2GB-memory-card-of-your-choice-more-t243948.html">http://www.modaco.com/Developer-Hackers-Win-a-2GB-memory-card-of-your-choice-more-t243948.html</a><br /><br />Paul at MoDaCo is as fed up with the blinking LEDs on our devices as most of us are. The difference is he can code an application. :wink: <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2002/20020830-blueled.gif" /><br /><br />He has written a small app that you download and it shuts down the LEDs on the HTC Universal, Prophet and Hermes. Right now, there is no GUI, so to turn them back on, you need to uninstall and soft reset. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=27037">This topic started nearly <i><b>four years ago</b></i></a> on this site. Obviously, the OEMs are more interested in bells and blinking lights than working on serious issues, because four years later, we still have annoying blinking lights <i>and</i> issues with alarms on Pocket PCs not firing reliably. :roll:

[Silver5]

I'll tell the truth and let everyone know that I thought the blinking lights on my first PDA phone were pretty cool...right up until I got in bed while the phone was blinking away on the night stand in both blue and green...and at that point I realized there was no way to turn them off without turning off the function they are indicating. This is even worse if driving at night and trying to use a bluetooth headset. The LED is so distracting that I would try to hide the phone under something or put it in the door so I would not see the darn light blinking.

I think there is good reason to have blinking LEDs on these devices. Indicator lights let me know what is going on with my phone at the time. If I have a new message it blinks orange. If I hav eBT on it blinks blue. As long as there is a signal it blinks green as well. Not to mention the other indications they can and do provide. They do not need to be as bright as they often are and they should certainly have an "off" setting. It shouldn't be mandatory that my device annoys me as much as it helps me.

[rdecker]

I just my phone face-down on the night stand or seat of the car.
Problem solved - kinda....

[Darius Wey]

I just my phone face-down on the night stand or seat of the car.
Problem solved - kinda....

That's my quick fix as well.

I don't mind the green light, actually. It's the blue light that's blindingly bright. 8O

[freddiemac]

I love my i730 but the blinking lights drove me nuts. I use it as my alarm clock and the blinking lights at night seem like airplane strobes!

I read of a registry hack that turns them off. I applied the hack and - bingo - no more LEDs. But, also, no more vibrate...ever. Bit of a bummer. Bruce, over at pocketmax.net (phoneAlarm) tried to implement this for some of the pdas, but couldn't get them all to respond to the plugin.

Anyone know if this would work for a non-HTC device? (And maybe get back vibrate? :lol:

[Phoneboy101]

I'm such a geek that I like the blinking lights for their own sake. I've been known to turn Bluetooth on just for the light, in the past when I had no BT devices. Even I had enough sense to turn my phone face-down at night.

I also really like the functionality of knowing my coverage, message, or Bluetooth status by the LEDs.

[SHC]

There are some options in Tweaks2k2 to alter the settings of the LED's on the 4700 and a couple for the HTC Blue Angel and Magician too. Personally I don't use them, I cover the PDA with a black lens cleaning cloth at night whilst it's cradled.

[aroma]

What realy disturbs me, is all these people that are apparenly have to sleep with their PDAs right next to them. :lol:

[Marcel_Proust]

What realy disturbs me, is all these people that are apparenly have to sleep with their PDAs right next to them. :D

Disturbing? Really? Doesn't everyone sleep like that?

Tweaks 2k2 can control the LED on some devices btw.

I find LED lights useful, except when they blink.

[griph]

What realy disturbs me, is all these people that are apparenly have to sleep with their PDAs right next to them. :lol:
Well my PDA is always next to me when I sleep - its my Alarm and wakes me in the mornings - wouldn't be much use anywhere else now would it! I just look at it from this angle - I want to get my money's worth from it - so ... what's the problem exactly?
;-)

[Darius Wey]

What realy disturbs me, is all these people that are apparenly have to sleep with their PDAs right next to them. :lol:

I'm going to echo the "it's my alarm" statement. Yes, the alarms actually work. ;)

Aside from that, I prefer to have my phone (which is my PDA) next to me for those times when I get early morning calls and don't want to get out of bed.

[SHC]

What realy disturbs me, is all these people that are apparenly have to sleep with their PDAs right next to them. :lol:

My device ID is "the_brain" for a reason - it goes everywhere. haven't taught it to swim yet though.

[ppcsurfr]

While this is something which a lot of people will definitely appreciate. I have my own opinions about fiddling with indicator lights.

Indicator lights are there for a purpose... other than to inform you of your device's status... it can also be used by authorities to monitor if your device has some radio running (in the case of inflight use)...

but since the latest turn of events where electronic devices are being banned from being carried on board planes... then I guess... fiddling with such indicators becoms less of an issue...

But just in case the ban is lifted on all flights around the world... the indicator lights can be used to help the flight crew monitor whose device has a radio on or not. If we are able to tamper with it... then it becomes less of a basis for such checks. It will then take longer to get the inflight policies of these airlines ironed out.

[hamishmacdonald]

I honestly don't think most airport security staff know what the various functions and parts of a PDA are, let alone if they're really functioning or have been altered in some way.

I must admit, I've long found it strange that I've had to take off my shoes in airports, but have never been questioned about having a highly technical device on my person.

~

At night, I listen to streaming music on Resco Radio, and put a glasses-cleaning cloth over my Acer so the blue LED won't light up my room like the emergency light on a snowplow. It's funny to hear other people talk about having this problem.

[amesskyway]

Someone should design a program to have the option of dimming those blinking lights!

[ppcsurfr]

I honestly don't think most airport security staff know what the various functions and parts of a PDA are, let alone if they're really functioning or have been altered in some way.

True... that's why the blinking LEDs have lost its potential of being an indication of a mobile device's status. Being able to tamper with this lessens its value even more.

If it were a requirement to pass certain regulations, and if tampering with such indicators is considered illegal, then maybe it would make it easier to come up with inflight policies regarding mobile devices. This is where airport and airline personel get trained about these things...

And since the code for the LEDs can be tampered with... then it just sends us back to square 1.

[hamishmacdonald]

Yes, but a pilot friend of mine told me that Bluetooth, mobile phones, and other such wireless devices can't actually harm an airplane's instrumentation (they're not foolish enough to allow it to be that frail!).

With mobiles, apparently it's more a matter of the airline not wanting mobiles to use their transmitters, purely because of the exorbitant costs involved.

So I'm afraid that our winky-blinky lights are really of minimal concern to anyone. Sorry.

[IpaqMan2]

The blinking lights do serve a function and I do perfer them there. Though, I think having an option to make the lights Dim, bright, and off is great. My PPC-6700's bluettoth light is dim that I can hardly tell it's on. I wouldn't mind an option to making it brighter. Besides that I turn the phone away from me in dark places, not to much of a big deal, but I can see where turning it off at times canbe helpful too.

Though on a side note.. I wish my PPC-6700's leds were a little more distinguish between the washed out green and washed out orange color leds.

[Jason Lee]

The blinking lights do serve a function and I do perfer them there. Though, I think having an option to make the lights Dim, bright, and off is great. My PPC-6700's bluettoth light is dim that I can hardly tell it's on. I wouldn't mind an option to making it brighter. Besides that I turn the phone away from me in dark places, not to much of a big deal, but I can see where turning it off at times canbe helpful too.

Though on a side note.. I wish my PPC-6700's leds were a little more distinguish between the washed out green and washed out orange color leds.

I've also noticed this with the 8125 and the k-jam. The leds are much dimmer than my sx66. It is a good thing at night or in the dark but it can be hard to see what color the green/orange light is blinking in direct sunlight. :)

I think i like them dimmer over all. I think. :D

[Tierran]

Yeah, HTC devices tend to have LEDs that are usable but not obnoxious. (Unlike my Dell which had the most obnoxious LEDs possible I think)

[bnycastro]

I actually like the blinking LEDs and have my device near me as well when I sleep although I don't use it as an alarm :-) I just like to have it near me at all times hehehe. I'm sure others will appreciate this though... options are good.

[Jon Westfall]

Ed,

This post really came to mind to me last night as I flipped my K-JAM upside down in my shirt pocket to avoid it's distracting blinking during a performance of a certain stage production (http://www.mamma-mia.com/). ;)

Jon.

[Ed Hansberry]

This post really came to mind to me last night as I flipped my K-JAM upside down in my shirt pocket to avoid it's distracting blinking during a performance of a certain stage production (http://www.mamma-mia.com/). ;)
Awesome show. :D

[alex_kac]

Any way to get rid of the blinking light on a Treo? Please? Please? Or how about the sleep light on the MacBook Pro. Both annoying...

[ctmagnus]

Just an fyi that there has been some progress made in the Modaco thread listed in the original post and there are a few installers ready to go, though apparently not fully tested.