9/21/21, 2:04 PM
`
`Pen Computing Magazine: The NeoNode N1
`
`Site Sponsors:
`
`Windows Mobile | Palm OS | All Palms | Features | Pen Computers | Tablet PCs | Handheld PC
`Rugged PCs | Case Studies | Industry leaders | Digital Cameras | Editor's Columns | New Gadgets | Q&A
`NeoNode N1
`Can a unique interface put this compelling smart phone on the map?
`
`Cellphones and smartphones are huge business, with many hundreds of millions sold each year. The market is
`dominated by a few larger players, the likes of Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and so on. While most of the
`cellphones sold don't qualify as "smartphones," an increasing number do, and the term "smart" is relative anyway. Fact is
`that phones are sold on features these days (certainly not on quality of service and voice quality - both of which appears
`far worse than a decade ago). The more features the sexier and more alluring the phone, and the more likely it is to coax
`the buyer/user not only into getting a new phone, but also into purchasing an expensive calling plan and additional
`services. And of them are many, and they are getting ever more compelling. Cellphones use anything from rudimentary
`proprietary operating systems to sophisticated operating platforms such as Symbian, Linux or Microsoft Windows Mobile.
`
`Some phones are totally different, and made by companies you have likely never heard of. NeoNode is one such
`company, and their product, the NeoNode N1 one such phone. It's not actually new; the N1 has been around for several
`years, gathering a small following and a wild diversity of opinions. NeoNode itself is located in Sweden, and apparently
`dedicated to their technology and determined to make it work.
`
`The NeoNode N1
`What is the NeoNode phone? It's different from anything else you've seen. When it first came out in 2002 or so, the small
`glossy soapbar phone was considered almost impossibly small and also quite futuristic looking. But technology does not
`stand still, and in 2006 the NeoNode N1, while still one of the smaller phones, no longer stands out. In fact, some might
`consider it a bit chunky, and its rounded, featureless shape a bit dated. Lacking any polished, brushed or powder-coated
`metallic finishes, all creased or beveled, the all-plastic N1 looks more like a small remote control perhaps, or some other
`low-tech plastic device. NeoNode knows that and has a replacement almost ready, the NeoNode N2 which is said to be
`much sleeker and more in line with the expectations of the iPod generation. But for now I'll concentrate on the existing N1
`as it exemplifies NeoNode's revolutionary technology.
`
`How rare is the N1? Despite a semi-test production run of several thousand, so rare that I could not find one on eBay
`(and ended up getting a device directly from the company). If you can't find something on eBay, for all practical purposes
`it doesn't exist. But exist the N1 does, and it's a remarkable device. What makes it so special?
`
`In short, it is a bold, experimental marriage of standard off-the-shelf components with entirely new and different
`technology and ideas. The standard part consists of the fact that the N1 is actually based on Windows Mobile. Connect it
`via a USB cable to a desktop or notebook running Microsoft ActiveSync, and it'll immediately be recognized. That comes
`in handy as being able to use widely supported software components is always preferable to one-off utilities that may or
`may not work very well, or require constant updating as the operating system changes.
`
`In addition, the N1 also uses some of the Windows Mobile applications. There's the mail client, Pocket Internet Explorer,
`Notes, the Media Player, and a couple more. That, however, is about as far as the familiar Windows Mobile look goes.
`Other apps may have been ported, but I haven't seen them yet.
`
`https://pencomputing.com/WinCE/neonode-n1-review.html
`
`1/5
`
`Samsung et al. v. Neonode
`IPR2021-00145 (US 8,812,993)
`Neonode Ex. 2027
`Page 1
`
`

`

`9/21/21, 2:04 PM
`
`Pen Computing Magazine: The NeoNode N1
`
`A unique interface
`What's so special about the NeoNode then? That
`would be its interface which is like no other. There
`is no physical keypad or keyboard at all. That itself
`isn't revolutionary, and the N1 also has fairly
`standard components such as a four-way
`directional pad located beneath its portrait-oriented
`rectangular display. The pad not particularly
`responsive or easy to use, but we'll get to that later
`as we assess each part of the N1.
`
`The unique and different thing of the NeoNode
`phone is that it uses a touch screen unlike any
`you've used or seen. In contrast to most
`touchscreens that sense the pressure of a stylus or
`a finger, the NeoNode's "zForce" technology uses a
`grid of infrared beams to determine the location of
`your finger. The grid consists of eight horizontal and
`nine vertical "beams." You can't see them as they
`are integrated in the roughly 1/8-inch rise of the
`bezel that surrounds the display. So that is how the
`display senses the location of a finger. Quite
`obviously, a 9 x 8 array of sensors isn't anything
`like a digitizer. The NeoNode therefore doesn't do
`handwriting recognition and you can't write or draw
`on it with a pen. The infrared grid is exclusively used to determine the position of your finger and the direction in which
`you move a finger. The latter ability is used to give the NeoNode its totally unique personality and mode of operation.
`
`Swipe, swipe, swipe
`
`You see, instead of the usual menus and pulldowns, most operations are performed by sweeps of your finger - usually
`your thumb - across the surface of the NeoNode's display. For example, to answer the phone you sweep left to right. To
`terminate a call and hang up, you swipe right to left. To bring up programs or selections, you swipe up along the left side.
`To access options within an application you swipe up along the right side. To move between screens, or modes of
`operation, within an application, you swipe left or right along the top edge. If this sounds like the dreaded "gestures" that
`never really caught on in pen computing, it's not. The swipes are much simpler, there are only a few, and they are
`consistently used throughout all applications. The idea here is to let you hold a phone in the palm of your hand and
`operate it entirely with your thumb. No need to push buttons, view tiny menus, pull out a tiny stylus, or use scrollwheels,
`rockers or other such vexing miniature controls.
`
`Now we've seen numerous attest at doing things differently. Often, the proposed solution is simpler or more logical than
`the established way, yet for some reason the innovation doesn't catch on or trips over some small fact. The DVORAK
`keyboard, for example, makes much more sense than the standard QWERTY layout, yet it never caught on because
`almost everyone learns QWERTY first and it's almost impossible to switch. Likewise, in automobiles we've standardized
`on having the gas on the right, the brake next to it, and the clutch, if present, on the left. Anything else requires relearning
`which can range from being a nuisance to being dangerous. A different way of operating a computer isn't dangerous, but
`it certainly can be a nuisance. Unless, that is, it makes perfect sense. An example of something that made perfect sense
`was Jeff Hawkins' brilliant Graffiti text entry system that used a simple set of mnemonic keystrokes to generate all letters
`of the alphabet. Everyone was skeptical at first, and virtually everyone mastered it within 15 minutes or so. It was a huge
`success until Xerox sued Palm over it, claiming patent infringement. The case was eventually thrown out, but not before
`Palm had decided to give up on the marvelous Graffiti and replace it with a less intuitive solution that contributed to
`bringing upon the demise of Palm PDAs. In any case, the NeoNode's swiping interface is similarly simple and brilliant.
`
`How does it work?
`But let's get back to the NeoNode and its unique interface. At first, you feel lost, especially since the user's manual that
`comes in the elegant, tidy NeoNode box is Scandinavian-style minimal. I've seen IKEA furniture with more instructions.
`You look at the brief explanation of swiping up and left and right in various areas of the display and the initial feeling is
`
`https://pencomputing.com/WinCE/neonode-n1-review.html
`
`2/5
`
`Samsung et al. v. Neonode
`IPR2021-00145 (US 8,812,993)
`Neonode Ex. 2027
`Page 2
`
`

`

`9/21/21, 2:04 PM
`
`Pen Computing Magazine: The NeoNode N1
`that you might never get it. Especially since the swipes need to be applied methodically. So you turn on the NeoNode with
`a tiny button to the right of the keypad and start swiping. If you are the type who is able to follow instructions you may get
`it almost right away. If you're more the experimental type (as I am), you start swiping and see what happens, hopping
`from application to application and finding yourself inside options, and settings, and likely never where you want to be.
`However, within a remarkably short time you'll see how it all fits together and that there is a well thought-out--even
`brilliant--method to it all. And a method that you quickly pick up and then never forget.
`
`To give you an idea of how this works, once you turn the phone on, you'll be greeted by the "locked" symbol. After all, you
`wouldn't want random touch to generate commands or calls. A set of small triangle arrows show where and in what
`direction to swipe to unlock the phone. That visual aide is used throughout the interface; the arrows always show what
`swipe options are available. Once unlocked, you're greeted with a standard info screen: time in large numbers, date, and
`various icons showing signal strength, battery charge, network used, ringtone, messages, and so on. Three sets of
`triangle arrows show the swipe options. Swipe up on the left side to bring up application icons, sets of six round ones per
`screen. Swipe up center to bring up a phone dial pad. Swipe up along the right to bring up options. You always exit any
`given situation with a backward swipe from right to left, so that is in essence the "Esc." And you can close any application
`by sweeping upper right to lower left.
`
`To illustrate how this works, lets get into the N1's camera applications. Swipe up along the left to get the application icons,
`tap on the camera icon to start the application. Once there, swiping left and right along the top toggles between camera
`and image review mode. In each mode, swiping up along the right brings up available options, swiping left to right along
`the bottom quits out of either the option or the application, depending on where you are. At times, there is text that
`explains or prompts. In the camera application, for example, text along the bottom shows how many pictures will still fit
`into available space, and it also says "Tap to take a picture." Other times an option may require a "yes" or "no." Those are
`executed by either swiping left to right for a yes, or right to left for a no. It's all logical, and quickly feels so.
`
`That's really all there is to the interface. Using a simple, logical swiping system to operate the entire phone, all aspects of
`it. And unlike many other small form-factor operating environments that all too often bop smack into limitations where the
`chosen metaphor breaks down, that's rarely the case with the NeoNode. Perhaps that's because there aren't all that
`
`https://pencomputing.com/WinCE/neonode-n1-review.html
`
`3/5
`
`Samsung et al. v. Neonode
`IPR2021-00145 (US 8,812,993)
`Neonode Ex. 2027
`Page 3
`
`

`

`9/21/21, 2:04 PM
`
`Pen Computing Magazine: The NeoNode N1
`many applications on the device, and the company has had ample time to perfect their operation. More likely, it simply
`makes that much sense.
`
`Some frustrations
`That is, however, not to say that all is perfect. Just like on digital cameras, not all icons are self-explanatory. Theoretically
`the infrared sensors should allow "hovering" to bring up explanations, but that is not (yet) implemented on the NeoNode.
`Another possibility would be tiny text complementing the icons, as is often done on digital cameras, but apparently that
`would go against the strongly developed Scandinavian urge to keep things clean and simple. As a result, you likely
`commit a few errors while figuring out what some of the more obscure icons do. Some applications resort to simple lists
`where you pretty much have to use the navigation pad. That doesn't fit into the minimalist elegance of the interface.
`
`A bigger issue is the infrared digitizer itself. It has absolutely no problems identifying swipes (again, finger only; no stylus),
`and where required it handles taps in a very innovative way, by issuing a brief vibrate when a tap registers. That would
`quickly become annoying if it were used for all taps, so it is limited to where you really need it, like when dialing a phone
`number. A problem I ran into is that the infrared grid works very well around the perimeter, but much less so in the center.
`Reliably entering a "5" in the center of the on-screen keypad was at times a challenge. Either it picked up the "8" beneath
`it, or it required a slow, deliberate, precise pressing on the screen. It also seemed that the grid was sensitive to certain
`lighting conditions, as one would, in fact, expect from an infrared-based system. I should mention that other NeoNode
`users I talked to did not have that problem, so perhaps it was unique to my device.
`
`For the most part, however, the numeric entry pad works just fine, and you can use a variety of data entry methods.
`There's the standard multiple-letters-per-button common to almost all phones, there's the Tegic T9 predictive system and
`so on. This same method is also used for text entry into notes.
`
`Windows Mobile, but...
`I mentioned that the NeoNode operating environment is based on Windows Mobile. You'd never know that because the
`environment is totally different. Some of the icons are the same, and some of the screens, but by and large, "NeNo" is
`totally different and unique. There's something else that is unique here, and that is the sheer speed with which the system
`operates. The N1 isn't based on a blistering, powerhungry Intel PXA chip. Instead it uses a NeoMagic MiMagic 6
`application processor [see Pen Computing technology report on NeoMagic] that uses parallel processing logic to do more
`with less. As a result, the processor gets away with running at a much slower clock speed, which means long battery life
`and much less heat. We've heard all that before with Transmeta. While Transmeta chips certainly ran cool and were
`miserly, they were also rather slow, often unacceptably so. The N1, on the other hand, is a speed demon. There is none
`of the often annoying wait experienced on Pocket PCs and Windows Mobile Smartphones. Menus just pop. There are
`some exceptions to this speediness. Video frame rate at times slowed way down, more so than we expected on a small
`screen.
`
`The NeoNode is a 900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS phone that uses a SIM card. It is totally unlocked and you can use it with
`pretty much any GSM carrier. Pop your SIM card in and the N1 will find your carrier. The problem with this approach, at
`least in the current N1, is that you'll only be able to use basic phone functionality. When you buy a Pocket PC Phone from
`Verizon or T-Mobile, the phone will be programmed to let you do all the usual more advanced features such as
`speakerphone, voice mail, conference calls, and a carrier's special services. This is probably where "application profiles"
`come in, but my review N1 didn't have any, nor any obvious way to create one.
`
`The NeoNode hardware
`What about the N1 hardware? It's simple. There is a standard USB jack at the bottom, a standard audio jack for the
`headphones, two small buttons for power and escape. There are two card slots, one at the bottom of the phone for the
`SIM card, and one on the lower left side for a SD Card. Both cards remain visible and are thus not well protected. There
`is no battery compartment you can open and the 1,400mAH Li-Ion battery is thus not user-replaceable--a distinct
`disadvantage as far as we're concerned. There's a loop at the bottom so you can carry the phone on a lanyard. The
`display measures 2.2 inches diagonally and seems to use a transflective LCD that is fairly visible outdoors. A recessed
`camera lens is on the back. The integrated digital camera itself records in a somewhat unusual 1024 x 1024 pixel format.
`As is usually the case with phone cameras, the pictures aren't of high quality. Most are somewhat unsharp. The N1
`doesn't come with a protective case--a definite necessity if you carry it in your pocket. The problem here, of course, is that
`a case that protects the screen would also keep you from answering a call with a swipe.
`
`Support
`
`How well is the N1 supported? That depends on your idea of support and your expectations. Since the device is not
`currently offered by a carrier in the US, your sole recourse is the manufacturer itself, and they are in Sweden. NeoNode
`has a pretty good website where you can, upon registering your phone, access a good amount of information, including a
`somewhat more detailed user manual. The NeNo software is updated frequently and you can download the latest version
`from the site. The site also offers some pretty progressive advice, such as how to rip DVDs so the data plays on the
`NeoNode, and how to download podcasts. Third party developers are encouraged to create NeoNode apps, but there
`doesn't appear to be much, even after several years. There is a fairly active usergroup, Red Neo, with a very useful forum
`at www.redneo.com There you can not only get questions answered, but also download software. It's mostly amateur
`stuff, but some are quite useful.
`
`In some areas the NeoNode simply requires that you go along with what's available, and that's that. There is no 802.11
`WiFi, so data communication happens via whatever data service your carrier offers and the device supports. There is also
`no Bluetooth, so no communication with a notebook that way, and no IR (interesting given the use of it in the digitizer
`grid), so talking to a PC is always via USB.
`https://pencomputing.com/WinCE/neonode-n1-review.html
`
`4/5
`
`Samsung et al. v. Neonode
`IPR2021-00145 (US 8,812,993)
`Neonode Ex. 2027
`Page 4
`
`

`

`9/21/21, 2:04 PM
`
`Pen Computing Magazine: The NeoNode N1
`
`The bottomline
`What's the bottomline? The NeoNode phone is quite obviously unique, and it does some things very well. The user
`interface is compelling and it's easy to see how just a bit more development could provide almost total consistency and
`thus a user experience simpler than pretty much anything else that comes to mind. The speed is simply amazing. That's
`the way a phone should operate. Yet, the occasional balkiness of the zForce digitizer poses the severe, central question,
`that whether the system is inherently suitable for, and compatible with, use in a phone. Then there's the small size of the
`company. They've been around for several years and thus have a track record, but going it alone against the likes of
`Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson either requires a premium boutique price point with features and a dedicated following
`to match, or an iPod-esque megahit to put the product on the map.
`
`The upcoming (and long-awaited) N2 will answer many questions as to where NeoNode is headed and what can likely be
`expected from the company and the technology. The N2 not only needs to catch up with the competition in terms of size,
`style and features, it needs to leapfrog everyone else and make a compelling case for its unique technology by making it
`so integrated and well-suited to a truly next-gen device to trigger the wow and must-have response required to go
`mainstream and beyond. -- Conrad H. Blickenstorfer
`
`[go to NeoNode website]
`
`https://pencomputing.com/WinCE/neonode-n1-review.html
`
`5/5
`
`Samsung et al. v. Neonode
`IPR2021-00145 (US 8,812,993)
`Neonode Ex. 2027
`Page 5
`
`