I think this feature has been questioned before and there was not a good answer or option that could be added.
I note from the help, that this is a feature.
Quote:
To activate the popup you need to hold down the SHIFT key and move your mouse over the popup: in that case, the popup changes colors to show that it is activated. Activating a popup allows you to perform several functions! Alternatively, you can hold down the RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON and move the mouse over the popup to activate it.
@Costas, is there a possibility that you can add an option for the config.ini that will change the behaviour of the popup background so that it does not change colour or show gradiant.