<p>1. Yes<br>
2. Not that I know of.<br>
I just purchased one also. I have 2 backs one designed for the iii and an older one. I look at the LED display like a digital watch. Its always on and the batteries last forever. That being said my older back battery is dead and to my understanding it is a somewhat complex operation to change the battery. My newer version back allows easy changing of the battery.</p>