I cant seem to get, or, find a setting to turn off the backlight when I have the charger or hands free device plugged in. Is there a way to do this that I am missing?

push the little light button at the bottom right of the keypad, just below the 0

Thanks, but, it is inoperable while pluged in. Works great unpluged tho.

Is that normal for everyone else? Sad shame they dont have it go out so you can keep the phone open and not wear out the backlight. Silly crackheads, but, there MUST be a setting in there somewhere that will turn it off. Ball pean hammer maybe?

There is no setting, it's a feature (so you can use it as a desk clock while sitting in the cradle for instance). I wouldn't worry about the backlight wearing out. I'm pretty sure the phone will die from something else a long time before you see any wear on the backlight. Also, why not just close the clamshell if you don't want to see the display? It (the display) will turn off if the clamshell is closed, whether it's plugged in or not.

Dr. Dolittle is correct. There is no setting for turning off the main display backlight when charging. In fact, if you close the phone while charging, the small backlight in the top display stays on even when the backlight for the large internal display goes off.

There is, however, a way to get all the backlights off when the phone is charging. Plug in the charger (or put the phone in the cradle) while the phone is on, then turn off the phone. Now, before the short lights-off timer expires, close the phone. The external display backlight will go off when the timer expires.

There might be other operational sequences to get all the backlights off but this is the one I use. Note that if you turn the phone off first, then connect it to a charger, the external backlight does not go off. Apparently the short lights-off timer needs a trigger after connection to a charger, such as turning the phone off, or it never runs and does not turn the backlight off.

Well, i found out how to do it by accident. The main screen backlight WILL turn off, but, you have to hold the little "light" button, at the bottom, for 2-4 seconds...

Its possible that the phone would die before the light, but, seeing as how the light is a little ol floresent thing, I didnt want to help it along any more than nessasary.

I just reread your statement. I didnt even notice THAT little light was on. I think that outside number cally let you know who it is thing is driven by a LED. Now that would would last indefinitly!