Using iPhone as a nightstand clock

[fike]

I am considering installing one of those nightstand clocks for on my iphone to use at night. I want it to be on all the time so that I can see the time in the middle of the night.

Do you think that leaving the LCD running nonstop for 8 hours a day will be a problem? It will be plugged into a dock, but I am afraid that it might reduce the life of my LCD?

[Aussiergman]

i wouldnt leave it on all the time , but i have mine next to my pillow, as i like the alarm clock thing in it , so id just keep it pluged into the wall and have it next to you at easy reach..

[Paperlantern]

I also use mine for an alarm, and as Aussie mentioned, it just sits there, i dont actually charge it at night but thats moot.

The thing about backlit LCD's is how they are lit and the life of that light, I did a short search to see if I could come up with an answer as to the iPhone's backlight technology, but didnt find any definitive answers. LED is used in the blackberry storm and is supposedly more power efficient, though I tend to disagree, my wife has a storm and her battery dies way before my iPhone, but that could just be usage as well. If its a normal backlight (basically a mini fluorescent light), the power consumption is neglegible, but the lifespan is much shorter than LED, thats the only concern when leaving it on for long periods. CCFL tubes die much faster than LED's, but since i dont know the exact technology in the iPhone at present i cant make a suggestion either way. If its LED, i would say go for it, the LED backlight would almost NEVER burn out, if its an CCFL tube, i would say dont bother, it will burn out your backlight 10x faster than regular use.

Does anyone know which backlight technology the iPhone uses? I sure would love to know for sure.

[ReyZero]

Personally I don't see a problem, especially if you plan to replace your cell phone after 2 years. I'm pretty sure turning the screen on and off over and over again would be more harmful then just leaving it on, but both of which shouldn't hurt it enough to notice.

[lepht]

i use the "Night Stand by Spoonjuice" app as an alarm. its pretty cool, but it could use a few improvements. my main WANT is the ability to select a song for an alarm. my only other small gripe with the app is that you can't define how long the snooze alarm is=p

one thing about the app that might put you at ease, if you double tap the screen, it will dim. it has full rotation ability. i use the stand that the iphone came with and leave it on its side while plugged in.