Laptop-Mode-Tools 1.71 Adds VGA Switcheroo Support, Kbd-Backlight

For those using Laptop-Mode-Tools to conserve power consumption when running on battery or using it to be more power efficient on your desktop or server, a new version is now available.

Laptop Mode Tools 1.71 adds new modules for vgaswitcheroo and kbd-backlight. This package update also revives the Bluetooth module, has some wireless/WiFi changes, AC/battery determination improvements, fixes, and other smaller improvements.

The vgaswitcheroo module for laptop-mode-tools allows using the Linux vgaswitcheroo interface to be used for disabling unused hybrid graphics GPUs. This allows for say disabling the hybrid GPU automatically whenever switching from AC to battery power.

The new kbd-backlight module allows for automatically controlling the backlight of supported keyboards when switching power modes.

Those wishing to find out more about Laptop Mode Tools 1.71 can do so via this blog post or via the GitHub project site.