IBM ThinkPad ThinkLight

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ThinkLight
White LED ThinkLight on a ThinkPad A21p Laptop

ThinkLight is a keyboard light produced by IBM, and is present in the ThinkPad family of notebooks. A white or yellow LED (depending on model) is located on the top edge of the display, illuminating the keyboard to allow use in low-light conditions. It is activated with the key combination Fn-PgUp (the bottom left and top right keys of the keyboard). The on-screen display of ThinkPad computers will display a light on and a light off indicator. The ThinkLight can be activated when the monitor is on or off but not while the PC is off.

Some ThinkPads, like the Z and R series (though not all - some R61 models still have the white light) feature an amber (yellow) LED due to the lower cost, while other models, like the T series, use a white LED (which is generally preferred)[1]. See selective yellow for a discussion of possible ergonomic advantages of the amber LED, however.

The recent Dell Latitude ATG series laptops have also contained a pair of red LEDs which are controlled in a very similar way to the IBM ThinkLight. These red LEDs also serve to illuminate the keyboard.

Some other computer manufacturers have similar facilities to illuminate keyboards in dark conditions. Apple, Inc.'s MacBook Pro (formerly PowerBook) and MacBook Air range of notebook computers feature keyboards back-lit by fiber-optics.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Typing in the Dark. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.

[edit] External links


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