Review: Neonode N2 - 61 Grams of Pure Finger Fun

Neonode N2

Neonode N2

Neonode N2

Swedish call phone maker Neonode, a company long known only for its vaporous N1 that took years to reach the market, is now starting to push its latest offering, the N2. First seen at 3GSM last year, the new N2 sports the same Windows CE guts as Microsoft's Windows Mobile smartphones, but uses its own unique user interface to get things done.

The N2 has been a strange trip for me. My first impressions upon powering it up were those of frustration and confusion. I told our news editor, Ricky Cadden, that I actually hated the device. But a few days later I started coming around to Neonode's unusual finger swipe based user interface, and began to fall for the compact, even cute, design of the phone. A week and a half later and all of a sudden I find myself telling Ricky that I love the N2. It is that kind of device. Hard to get to know, and with some shortcomings, but worthy of love for all that it does well. Different or not.

Physical Aspects

As far as mobile phones go, the Neonode N2 is unique. It looks more like a modern MP3 player than a phone, with its minimalistic design and lack of a traditional keypad and softkeys of any sort. At 77.5mm x 47.5mm x 15.5mm (3.1" x 1.9" x .6") in size, the device is hardly larger than its 176x220 pixel display, which sports an unusual optical touch sensor called zForce that makes use of a grid of infrared light beams to detect a finger instead of relying on pressure. The 2" transflective TFT display on the N2 is capable of rendering 65k colors, and is very easy to read in most any lighting situation, including direct sunlight. It has a very smooth finish that does a fair job at hiding the smudges and smears that one expects to find on a display that is used with fingers.

The joystick that sits below the N2 is rather poorly done. It is quite stiff and stubborn in use. Luckily, most people will find that the N2's user interface doesn't require the joystick to be used at all, so it is less of a problem than it would have been on most any other device. There are very few other physical controls on the N2. A volume control bar is located on the left side of the phone, directly adjacent to the power switch (a bit of space between them would have been nice). Up top is where the rear cover latch is located, next to the proprietary Neonode USB/headset/power port. There are no other buttons or controls on the device.

When used for phone calls, the back of the N2 is held towards the user's face. This keeps the display from getting overly dirty from facial oils, and helps keep the cell phone's total size in check since the speaker doesn't have to be placed above the display. Next to the speaker is the recessed lens for the 2 megapixel camera. Under the rear cover is the miniSD memory card slot. The battery itself is actually attached to the rear cover with a couple of clips.

At 61g (2.1oz) with its miniSD card, few would consider the Neonode N2 to be a burden to carry. The soft-touch, matte black finish on the device makes comfortable to handle and is attractive, though some folks will be interested in knowing that Neonode showed some new colors for the N2 at CES this year. As for the two holes at the bottom of the N2, I have no idea what they are for, except for maybe attaching a neck loop of some sort. In any event, they only add to the N2's distinctive look.

With the glaring exception of the poorly done joystick, the N2 really offers a very nice design that is both comfortable to use as well as attractive. The fact that it seems very solidly built doesn't hurt, either.