Neonode Opts For Optical Touchscreen

LAS VEGAS — Stockholm, Sweden-based Neonode came to the CTIA show with a small 2.1-ounce phone that uses optical touchscreen technology and proprietary user interface to let consumers navigate the phone interface via one-handed light tapping and thumb sweeps across the touchscreen.

The quadband GSM/GPRS N2 is due in the United States in the second quarter as an unlocked phone at an expected $399 to $499. The company will target future products to carriers.

The N2 features credit-card height and width at 3.03 inches by 1.85 inches by 0.58 inches. Other features include MP3 playback, MPEG and WMV video playback, stereo output to headphones, miniSD card slot and calendar and address book synchronized via ActiveSync.

It's already available in Europe.

New York-based Neonode USA exhibited at a private suite in the Venetian. The U.S. company is a partnership between Sweden's Neonode and Distribution Management Consolidators, a supply-chain management and sales channel development company.