It isn't backlit, as far as I know, and the buttons are very small.
If you have a fairly new TV, the smartphone app is free, does qwerty and you can see it in the dark.
If you have a universal remote, you can also get qwerty for free. I've posted all the codes here:
[Link: remotecentral.com]But that's really only practical to use on a universal with a decent sized display.