Laptops with backlit keyboards

Michelle Thatcher, Senior Associate Editor April 5, 2009

I recently received this in an e-mail from a CNET reader: "I check CNET for all types of information but I can't find specifics on laptops with backlit keyboards...Any suggestions on where I can go to research laptops that have this feature?"

It's an excellent question. Keyboard backlighting has long been available on the MacBook Pro and on such flashy gaming systems as the Dell XPS M1730. But as people grow accustomed to using their laptops in the living room, bedroom, and other low-light environments, backlit keyboards are beginning to show up on more mainstream laptops (and even some business systems, such as the Dell Latitude E6400). In fact, when Best Buy surveyed customers to develop its Blue Label initiative, keyboard backlighting was near the top of the feature wish list.

If it's also at the top of your feature wish list, take a gander at the laptops below, all of which incorporate backlit keyboards. They're listed by review date, with the most recent reviews on the left.