neonode

The company behind Sony's e-reader touch-screen technology

When Sony's latest e-readers were introduced recently, a lot of people wondered whether the touch-screen interface would be improved after previous attempts met with complaints of screen glare, contrast issues, and only so-so responsiveness. We expected it would be better, but were surprised by how well the touch-screen technology worked. So, what's the secret sauce?

Well, what's interesting is that Sony didn't use its own technology but actually licensed it from another company called Neonode. We're not saying that Sony never does this, but the company does take a certain pride in developing products with its own proprietary technology.

The latest Sony Readers, including the Pocket Edition PRS-350 ($180), Touch Edition PRS-650 ($230), and Daily Edition PRS-950 ($300), use a customized version of Neonode's optical touch-screen technology.

Neonode says its patented touch-screen technology, zForce, "supports high resolution pen writing in combination with market leading finger navigation including gestures, multitouch, sweeps and much more. zForce uses no overlay (like resistive and capacitive touch screens) on top of the e-ink display thus creating a 100 percent clear window free from reflexes and parallax effects and produces a true paper like experience."

The company also adds that its zForce technology is energy efficient and reduces the power consumption for so-called "low-power consumption" mobile electronics devices.

Neonode is a Swedish company that's been around for a while and even made some mobile phones, including the Neonode 2 in 2007. Back in 2008, the company filed for bankruptcy and many thought it had died but it's now become solely focused on licensing out its infrared-based touch-screen technology. … Read more

Neonode recalls N2 handset

Some of you might recall the Neonode N2, which we first showed to you at CES earlier this year. The compact handset was a unique take on touch-screen technology, utilizing an infrared light grid to track finger movements. We reviewed it, and even though we thought the technology had promise, we didn't find it to be very practical. That said, it looks like Neonode has a lot more problems with the N2 than initially realized.

Because of "reception problems," the company had decided to recall its N2 product from the shelves. They've fixed the problem, but … Read more

Taking the Neonode N2 for a test drive

Swedish company Neonode showed its N2 phone at CES. The tiny handset, which launched at the 3GSM show last February, would certainly be in the running for the title of smallest (and perhaps cutest) cell phone around. Like a certain device from Apple, the N2 relies almost entirely on a touch screen and has just one physical button. Yet the N2's interface is unique. Aside from a couple menus that involve pressing icons, most functions are performed by finger swipes across different areas of the display. You even use finger swipes to place and end calls. We tried it … Read more

Neonode launches touch screen phone at 3GSM

We still haven't bought into Steve Jobs' "buttons are bad on cell phone" theory, but other manufacturers seem to agree, as Apple's iPhone is far from the only handset with a screen-only interface. In fact, Neonode claims in a press release that Apple is following its lead in creating a button-lacking phone. The Swedish company is showing one of its newest models, the Neonode N2, at 3GSM in Barcelona. The petite (and admittedly cute) handset features onscreen navigation controls and an onscreen keypad. Sweeping your finger across the 65,000-color display opens menus, activates applications, and … Read more