This page showcases the original, handwritten development notes and authenticated materials that prove the Odin Smartphone was the first true smartphone, and that Rob Lowe invented Airplane Mode on 27 February 2001.
It provides visitors, researchers, investors, and licensing partners with unparalleled access to the only known first-person record of the invention of modern smartphone technology — preserved, verified, and archived at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park.
1. What This Archive Is
This is the true origin story of the smartphone — recorded as it happened, by the man who built it.
The Odin Archive consists of over 115 handwritten pages, sketches, blueprints, and internal documentation authored by Rob Lowe, the Programme Director and Senior Project Engineer of the Odin Smartphone. Created between 2000–2001, this archive provides irrefutable evidence that Odin was the first true smartphone, and that Rob Lowe invented Airplane Mode — now used billions of times per day.
These are primary source documents, not retrospective claims.
They show the day-by-day development of Odin: its colour touchscreen, Symbian OS, Bluetooth, GPRS internet, media player, downloadable apps, and the now-iconic Airplane Mode toggle. Rob’s notes not only show the vision — they show the execution, the feature tests, the architecture decisions, and the finished system.
“If you want to know who really built the first smartphone — look in the notebooks.”
Every major smartphone innovation of the early 2000s is represented here — long before they reached the mass market. These documents now form the world’s most complete, contemporaneous record of smartphone invention.
2. The Notebooks
At the core of the Odin Archive are three original, hardbound navy notebooks, each meticulously filled by Rob Lowe during the Odin project’s peak development period from 2000 to 2001.
These notebooks are not summaries or post-event reflections — they are real-time records created during daily design, engineering, and testing work. They document the first time anyone built what we now call a smartphone.
What’s Inside
Each page offers a glimpse into the birth of mobile computing:
- System architecture sketches showing Odin’s integrated OS and hardware stack
- UI and touchscreen interface layouts (with stylus-based control logic)
- Bluetooth and GPRS flow diagrams
- Feature matrices and decision logs
- Chipset configuration plans for Motorola’s HALLA architecture
- A full roadmap of deliverables, ownership, testing, and QA
- Clear annotations of features like video streaming, cloud sync, and OTA updates
Airplane Mode: The Historic Entry
The most iconic page is dated 27 February 2001. On it, Rob Lowe writes a new term:
“Airplane Mode” – to disable all radios while allowing offline use
This is the first known written use of the phrase — and it would go on to become one of the most widely used digital commands in the world.
“It was a solution to a growing aviation problem — and it became part of global device culture.” – Rob Lowe
Handwritten, Personal, Authentic
- All notes written in ballpoint pen by Rob Lowe
- Show daily design decisions and in-progress thinking
- Include corrections, feature cuts, and “final tick-offs” as development milestones were met
- Now digitally scanned and indexed, preserving them for historical, academic, and licensing purposes
These notebooks were the working intelligence of the Odin project. Today, they are a time capsule of mobile history, recording the moment the modern world began — one page at a time.
3. Supporting Documents
Beyond the handwritten notebooks, the Odin Archive includes a wide range of physical and digital materials that further authenticate and contextualise the invention of the first smartphone — and the first use of Airplane Mode.
These supporting documents provide visual, organisational, and technical proof that the Odin Smartphone was a real, working product — built ahead of its time and ready for market.
Blueprints and Diagrams
- The original Odin hardware blueprint, once pinned to Psion’s internal project wall
- Annotated layout of ports, buttons, speaker placement, and display interface
- Component-level mapping for co-development with Motorola’s chipset team
Project Schedules and Feature Grids
- Printed deliverables matrix showing who was responsible for which features
- Internal memos from Psion and Motorola development streams
- Task lists covering UI development, OS integration, connectivity, and app packaging
Business Cards and Team Evidence
- A full stack of 120+ business cards from the Odin development ecosystem, including:
- Psion software and UI teams (London)
- Motorola radio and chipset teams (Florida)
- Symbian OS engineers (UK and Finland)
- Demonstrates the scale and reality of Odin’s globally coordinated build
Device Screenshots and Test Images
- Real screenshots of Odin’s UI, including:
- Custom icons
- App launchers
- Setup screens
- Video playback demos
- Photos of early Odin hardware and internal slide decks
📜 Legal and IP Documents
- Original Odin system design copyright filings
- Psion-internal technology usage terms
- GPRS showcase presentations and whitepapers from Rob Lowe’s Motorola work
Together, these materials corroborate the notebook entries with external evidence. They show that Odin wasn’t theoretical — it was designed, managed, tested, and ready to ship.
“These documents prove Odin was not only real — it was ready.”
4. Provenance and Authentication
The Odin Archive is not just impressive — it’s verifiable.
Every element of the archive, from Rob Lowe’s handwritten notebooks to the blueprints, schedules, and business cards, has been authenticated, preserved, and formally recognised as a credible historical record.
This is one of the only times in modern technology history where the invention of a global feature — Airplane Mode — and the creation of a breakthrough product — the first true smartphone — have been captured in such complete and personal detail by the inventor himself.
Verified Authorship: Rob Lowe
- All notebooks are written by Rob Lowe, Odin’s Programme Director and Senior Project Engineer
- Rob’s identity is confirmed by:
- His signature in the notebooks
- His Psion business card, included in the archive
- Statements and acknowledgement from Psion’s former Development Director, confirming Rob’s leadership role
- Corroborating emails, meeting logs, and assigned responsibilities in internal documentation
Timestamped Invention of Airplane Mode
- The term “Airplane Mode” is first documented in the notebook entry dated 27 February 2001
- This exact wording, in Rob Lowe’s handwriting, was used to describe disabling wireless radios while keeping device functionality
- Recognised as the earliest known use of the phrase by Merriam-Webster, which updated its dictionary following verification
Housed at The National Museum of Computing
- The Odin Archive is digitally preserved at The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC), Bletchley Park
- TNMOC is one of the world’s foremost computing history institutions
- The archive is catalogued, timestamped, and safeguarded for future generations, researchers, and licensing reviews
Independent and Legal Endorsements
- Includes signed Provenance Statement from Rob Lowe
- Digital and physical materials show continuous chain-of-custody
- Legal foundation for trademark, licensing, and commercial recognition of the Odin Smartphone and Airplane Mode invention
“It’s extremely rare to find such a complete, authenticated origin story — and even rarer that it’s backed by physical proof.”
5. Historical Significance
The Odin Archive is more than a collection of technical notes — it is a definitive record of the birth of the modern smartphone.
Compiled and authored by Rob Lowe, Odin’s Programme Director, the archive captures the moment the world changed: when voice, internet, touchscreen interaction, media, and wireless connectivity were united in a single handheld device — years before the world knew the term “smartphone”.
The First Real Smartphone
- Odin was fully working, not just a concept or prototype
- It integrated telephony, apps, internet, media, and UI design into a pocket-sized device
- It used a portrait, colour touchscreen form factor — the same layout used by all major smartphones today
The Birth of Airplane Mode
- Rob Lowe’s handwritten entry on 27 February 2001 introduced the term and concept
- It is now a standard global safety and digital wellbeing feature
- Airplane Mode is activated billions of times daily on smartphones, tablets, wearables, and laptops — all tracing back to Odin
The Forgotten British Smartphone That Changed Everything
- Odin predated the iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android by years
- Its software stack and design directly powered phones released by:
- Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Fujitsu, Sharp, and others
- An estimated 500 million+ smartphones can be traced back to Odin’s Symbian-based architecture
Rob Lowe’s Vision and Impact
- Rob led both the system design and the product rollout strategy
- His notes show a product manager, engineer, and inventor working simultaneously
- His foresight shaped not just Odin, but the entire smartphone industry
“Odin wasn’t just the first smartphone. It was the one that showed everyone else how to do it.”
Thanks to Rob Lowe’s archive — now verified and preserved — this piece of computing history has been reclaimed and made visible again.
6. Where It Lives Now
The Odin Archive — including the original notebooks, supporting documents, and authenticated provenance — is safely housed and digitally preserved at one of the most respected institutions in computing history:
The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC), Bletchley Park.
This is the same historic site where the codebreakers of World War II helped usher in the modern computing era — and now, it safeguards the invention that launched the mobile one.
The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC)
- Located at Bletchley Park, the birthplace of British computing
- Home to working rebuilds of the Colossus and Turing Bombe
- Holds one of the most comprehensive digital archives in Europe
- Officially preserves the Odin Smartphone archive and Rob Lowe’s original notebooks
What Is Stored
- The complete scan of all 115+ handwritten pages
- Photos and scans of blueprints, cards, and diagrams
- The Provenance Document, signed by Rob Lowe
- Verification materials used to establish authorship and innovation timeline
- All materials catalogued for ongoing access, research, and licensing reference
For the Public, Researchers, and Industry
- The archive is preserved for:
- Historical researchers and journalists
- Technology historians
- Mobile industry leaders
- Educational institutions and museums
- Licensing and IP validation teams
“This is the most complete and authentic record of a smartphone’s birth ever assembled — and it belongs in the digital Hall of Fame.”
This isn’t just tech history. It’s living proof — and it’s finally where it belongs:
Documented. Preserved. Recognised.