If you want to donate, or more features, check out Keep The Lights On Pro.
What does it do?
Keep The Lights On is a simple app that performs one function. It keeps the LEDs behind the buttons on a Captivate or similar phone on while the screen is on.
That seems stupid, why would anyone do that?
Well, try finding those buttons in the dark. While the stock ROM turns on the LEDs when you touch the screen, the i9000 based ROMs do not. In addition, most i9000 ROMs have a timeout of 3 seconds.
Doesn't that waste battery?
Depends on what you mean by waste. So first you have to understand the scale of battery consumption I'm talking about. LEDs, especially surface mount ones, draw very little power. How little? Assuming typical LEDs, we're talking 5 milliamps at 3.3 volts. Given that there are 4 LEDs, that means the total power consumption is 0.005 * 3.3 * 4 or 0.066 watts. The CPU consumes between 100 and 1000 milliamps, again at 3.3 volts meaning it uses between 0.33 and 3.3 watts. That's 5-50 times as much power, and that's before adding in the backlight, radio, etc. While yes, technically this uses a little more power, the scale is so small that for all intents and purposes it isn't going to make a difference in your life. Seeing the buttons clearly though, that takes frustration out of your life. Seems like a reasonable trade off.
Does it work with other BLN things like Blinky or BLN Pro?
Yes. This uses a different way to handle the BLN than both those apps. In fact it only requires a rooted ROM with these lights to work. So that means it should work for i9000, Fascinate, Captivate, Vibrant, etc. This should even work with the stock ROM given it is rooted.
If it works for all those phones, why is this just in the Captivate Section?
Well, I only have one phone right now to test with. That is my personal Captivate.
Why are you giving this away for free? Are you drunk? Does it use ads?
To answer the second question first, sometimes but not right now. This is free because I like making people's lives easier. I do not believe in advertisement based products, so you'll never see that from me. If you want to give something back, consider the donate button or buy the Pro version.
I installed it but didn't the app in my list of apps. Is it broken?
Short answer, no. This is a widget based app. Simply add the widget and click it to change the light behavior. You can even remove the widget and it'll remember your preference when you start up. That said if you uninstall the app you'll loose the behavior.
I just got an invalid signature error. What do I do?
This is my fault, there was an early version that I didn't sign correctly. Simply uninstall it manually before installing this version from the market.
What other issues exist?
Well there's a few:
What other features are in this app?
None; however, I'm always open to new ideas. Be warned though, they may go into the pro version.
How do I get this app?
From the market, or here:
Keep The Lights On
by Guardian Bob
What does it do?
Keep The Lights On is a simple app that performs one function. It keeps the LEDs behind the buttons on a Captivate or similar phone on while the screen is on.
That seems stupid, why would anyone do that?
Well, try finding those buttons in the dark. While the stock ROM turns on the LEDs when you touch the screen, the i9000 based ROMs do not. In addition, most i9000 ROMs have a timeout of 3 seconds.
Doesn't that waste battery?
Depends on what you mean by waste. So first you have to understand the scale of battery consumption I'm talking about. LEDs, especially surface mount ones, draw very little power. How little? Assuming typical LEDs, we're talking 5 milliamps at 3.3 volts. Given that there are 4 LEDs, that means the total power consumption is 0.005 * 3.3 * 4 or 0.066 watts. The CPU consumes between 100 and 1000 milliamps, again at 3.3 volts meaning it uses between 0.33 and 3.3 watts. That's 5-50 times as much power, and that's before adding in the backlight, radio, etc. While yes, technically this uses a little more power, the scale is so small that for all intents and purposes it isn't going to make a difference in your life. Seeing the buttons clearly though, that takes frustration out of your life. Seems like a reasonable trade off.
Does it work with other BLN things like Blinky or BLN Pro?
Yes. This uses a different way to handle the BLN than both those apps. In fact it only requires a rooted ROM with these lights to work. So that means it should work for i9000, Fascinate, Captivate, Vibrant, etc. This should even work with the stock ROM given it is rooted.
If it works for all those phones, why is this just in the Captivate Section?
Well, I only have one phone right now to test with. That is my personal Captivate.
Why are you giving this away for free? Are you drunk? Does it use ads?
To answer the second question first, sometimes but not right now. This is free because I like making people's lives easier. I do not believe in advertisement based products, so you'll never see that from me. If you want to give something back, consider the donate button or buy the Pro version.
I installed it but didn't the app in my list of apps. Is it broken?
Short answer, no. This is a widget based app. Simply add the widget and click it to change the light behavior. You can even remove the widget and it'll remember your preference when you start up. That said if you uninstall the app you'll loose the behavior.
I just got an invalid signature error. What do I do?
This is my fault, there was an early version that I didn't sign correctly. Simply uninstall it manually before installing this version from the market.
What other issues exist?
Well there's a few:
- I've had one report of the lights flashing instead of staying solid when turning the screen on. If this user hits one of the buttons the lights will stay on. I'm working on a way to fix this, I haven't found the cause as of yet.
- There's a superuser notice every once in a while. This is easy to turn off in the superuser app, and will be fixed in the pro version.
- There's been one report of clicking a link in andchat causes the lights to go out. I haven't been able to reproduce it yet.
What other features are in this app?
None; however, I'm always open to new ideas. Be warned though, they may go into the pro version.
How do I get this app?
From the market, or here:
Keep The Lights On
by Guardian Bob
