Is there any way to lock the screen without turning off the display? I just purchase a Nexus S.

Currently, to lock the screen, I need to


Press the power button.
Screen locked.
Display turned off.


To unlock screen, I need to


Press the power button to make screen visible.
Slide the touch screen to unlock.


Is there any way I can?




Press a button to lock the screen.
The screen remains visible, but get much less bright to preserve power.





Slide the touch screen to unlock.
Brightness of the screen back to normal.
I'm not aware of such an app/feature right now, but you could use the collective effect of a couple of apps to get almost the desired thing.


Lightning Bug: This is a cool free app that has
always-on display feature and shows the clock, (and weather, etc.) and
more.
Screen Filter: This app will allow you to reduce the
brightness even lower than what the Android system would allow you
to.


However, when you want to put your device into standby, you will need to open these apps to get the effect. Also, running these apps does not mean it's in "lock" mode.

I see a great potential for an app that does both of these together and also put the device into lock mode at the same time.