How does the palmtop look without the backlight on?
Great! As good as a stock palmtop, in my opinion. The screen has a bit of a colored tint to it; somewhat pink or gold, depending on the lighting. To me, contrast is just as good as a normal palmtop, although some people prefer the original look. Whichever you prefer, the new look is perfectly usable. Some versions may have a more limited angle-of-view than the origial screen.