MEX

Following the success of our previous article highlighting seven mobile user experience downloads, we’ve searched our five of the best videos for you. They explore all aspects of the user experience – from company strategy and marketing techniques to device interfaces and industrial design. One of the key messages of our MEX conference on 2nd – 3rd May is for the industry to embrace a much wider view of customer experience, encompassing all of the elements which form a user’s impression of a product.

Mark Anderson at Nokia

Mark is the editor of Strategic News Service, an advisory organisation which counts some of the biggest names in technology, finance and government among its clients. This is an hour long recording of his discussion with Nokia executives on the company’s long-term strategy, posted on the blog of Stephen Johnston, a Nokia employee who looks after strategy at the Finnish company.

In addition to Anderson’s views on Nokia – such as the opportunities in mobile payments – he also shares insights into the global trends affecting big corporations. The mobile technology commentary is extremely relevant for anyone with an interest in user experience, while the very fact Johnston has chosen to post this kind of content on his blog is an example of how companies can improve their customer relationships by engaging with users at all levels. Johnston has a more recent post on that topic too.

LG Prada phone

This is an extensive tour of the LG Prada handset from Engadget, stepping through its interface and discussing the way the product feels. While the storm of hype continues around the highly anticipated iPhone, LG and Prada are already shipping a device which boasts a wide range of comparable innovations.

The LG device uses a new type of touchscreen from Synaptics, enabling the handset to offer a sleek, glassy black screen without the slightly hazy look which has characterised previous displays of this type.

It is also the subject of a major UK advertising campaign at the moment, featuring in numerous magazines targeted at high spenders. Early evidence suggests it is quickly becoming the ‘must have’ handset among the fashion conscious.

TAT November Breeze UI

TAT, one of the sponsors of our MEX conference on 2nd – 3rd May and an extremely innovative UI company, has a video demonstration of its November Breeze concept. As well as showing how interfaces can change over the course of a day to reflect changing conditions, it also highlights TAT’s circular menu idea. Rather than scrolling through lists or icons, user’s rotate around a circle, with each menu item displayed in the centre of the wheel as it is selected.

Nokia 5300 review

Phonescoop, an excellent site for handset information and reviews, has an in-depth review of the Nokia 5300. It is a dedicated music handset and represents a leap forward in styling, functionality and ‘feel’ for young customers on a budget. The device is a good example of how a standard platform like Series 40 can be evolved to provide a highly segmented solution for a particular niche.

Pantech PN-820

Pantech is a South Korean manufacturer which is working hard to expand its presence abroad. It recently won a deal to supply Verizon Wireless with Windows Mobile smartphones and this is the first product to launch on the network.

Phonescoop provides a detailed review, highlighting a phone which may lack a certain design finesse but performs admirably.

Pantech’s handsets for the South Korean market and some of its more recent devices for export have shown considerable industrial design flair. Matched with standard platforms such as Windows Mobile and a low-cost manufacturing base, the company should start to increase market share.