2125 - why does the backlight 'dim' instead of actually turning off?

[johnb210]

I just got a Cingular 2125, and I can't figure out how to have the backlight turn off but leave the screen on - when I set the backlight timeout (currently 10 secs) it goes from very bright to a slightly dimmer backlight. Then if I set the overall screen timeout (the lowest setting is 1 minute) the backlight goes off and the screen turns off. I want to be able to turn off the backlight but leave the screen on, so I can still check the time, etc without having to turn on the backlight. Is this possible? If I left the screen "on" but just had the backlight get slightly dimmer, how much extra power would that waste?

This is very odd to me that the backlight just 'dims' instead of turning off, very different than any other phone or PDA I've ever used.

Thanks!
John