hx4700 backlight too bright

Hi, I am a fairly new user of the HP iPAQ hx4700. I am in love with the stunning 4" VGA screen. I'm using it as a PDA/music/recorded books/eBook reader and it does well at all four.

My major problem with using it as an eBook reader is that I cannot turn the backlight down sufficiently to read comfortably in total darkness without disturbing my light phobic wife.

I have used my best dexterity on the settings panel to move the control to the lowest possible position before it cuts off to dark. The dimmer appears to work because there is a very substantial difference between full backlight and the lowest level I can achieve. It is impossible for me to know if the low-light level meets specs.

I only used about 15% of the total battery charge in 2 1/2 hours of reading, so I think I'm achieving a low setting based on the warnings about backlight being the largest consumer of battery life.

Bottom line, I would like to lower the minimum dimness by a factor of 5. I would be happy if I had to wait 10 or 15 minutes in total darkness to be sufficiently dark adapted to read comfortably from a much dimmer display.

I don't know how the backlight is controlled, so I don't know if there are registry hacks that can change the brightness range or a utility for this purpose.

As a workaround, if what I want is impossible, is there a screen protector that would cut down the light level without reducing the contract between characters and screen.

Thanks all. This hx4700 is awesome, but dispite years of pc desktop and notebook experience, I am finding a steep learning curve, and I’m grateful for this forum an the excellent advice and discussions.