Larry’s Hermes Will Never Be So BLUE!
Posted on 21 October 2006, at 11:49 am, by Judie Lipsett
Larry at Palm Is Life is my hero!
Evidently I wasn’t the only one that wasn’t thrilled with the blue backlights in the Hermes keyboard. But instead of just mentioning it in a review, Larry did something about it!
Once again he has cracked his Hermes’ hood and tinkered until things were exactly as he wanted; Once again, he has worked magic.
Take a look…
Here is the Hermes with it’s blue backlight. It’s pretty, but not so easy on the eyes.
There’s lots more photos of the cracked Hermes in Larry’s article, but here’s a taste…
And here is a closeup of him working with the two different colored LEDs.
This final picture shows the result of his work, and will you just look at what’s on the left side screen? A shout-out to Gear Diary readers! Holla! 
click thumbnail to enlarge
Be sure to read all of the details of Larry’s latest modification at Palm Is Life; he never ceases to amaze me with his mad modding skills. Now I have to wonder what he will do to top this! 
**Larry has asked that I state for the record that he is no relation to Leisure Suit Larry of Amiga gaming fame. ha!
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Hermes with White LED’s » Gadget Venue dot com Says:
October 22nd, 2006 at 2:35 pm[...] Via: GearDiary. Mods made at PalmisLife « N95 Video Review [...]
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HTC Hermes dressed in white! - Pocket PC Addict Forums Says:
October 24th, 2006 at 3:22 pm[...] permalink If only I had the guts to do some mods like Larry over at PalmisLife.com! Basically, Larry transformed his HTC Hermes’ backlight from the original blue to a nice white…just what the doctor ordered. Here are some images of Larry’s process of transformation: The Hermes backlights in blue. The Hermes exposed! The squares on the lifted panel are where the LEDs are located. Steady hands working with the LEDs. The result…a side by side comparison of Hermes in blue and white! Larry also pointed out that HTC had manufactured their keyboard in two tones… notice that with the white LEDs, you can see that the symbols and function keys are printed in a shade of blue…sneaky! Click here for more images! [via GearDiary, PalmisLife] __________________ Jane Lee Pocket PC Addict Editor | Moderator [...]
October 21st, 2006 at 3:27 pm
Yeah, my Universal (an O2 Exec; unboxing experiencing Coming Soon to Gear Diary, right Judie?) has the same blue backlighting. But I’m telling ya, I’m not pulling it apart and getting out a soldering gun to make mods of that level. Software, I can do. Installing new lightbulbs, yes. Soldering teeny tiny device leads? Nuh uh.
October 21st, 2006 at 3:42 pm
Doug – I didn’t realize that the O2 Exec backlight was blue! The i-mate is a cross between red and white. Isn’t it wild how the different brands will change up the same device to add their own “personal touch”?
Yes, I need to format your unboxing photos – they are pretty awesome!
October 21st, 2006 at 9:55 pm
Yeah that kind of mod is pretty extreme, but very well done. Makes you wonder why they didn’t use the white LEDs in the first place.
October 21st, 2006 at 9:58 pm
If I am not mistaken, white LEDs are more costly.
October 22nd, 2006 at 1:37 pm
At $1000 per Universal retail, I think they can spring for white LEDs, don’t you think, Judy? [laughter]
October 22nd, 2006 at 1:45 pm
Yah, I think so…but it is amazing the corners some of these companies will think to cut to save $0.10.
October 22nd, 2006 at 3:10 pm
Blue looks fuzzy to me and it’s good to see someone with the guts to take one of these devices apart
I have a good friend who is tecky that way and when I pick one of these up for my self, I think I will hand him it and ask for the conversion 
October 23rd, 2006 at 4:22 am
It is confirmed that O2 Exec comes with a blue-backlighted keyboard… link below FYI..
http://f.hatena.ne.jp/masaboo0911/20051118104347
October 24th, 2006 at 4:42 pm
The blue backlights on the O2 Exec really are pretty…too bad they are so hard on the eyes.