In preparation for the next MEX conference on 2nd – 3rd May 2007, we’ve just published the latest edition of PMN’s Stat Spot PDF. This free 10 page document provides a graphical illustration of key statistics from leading researchers, ranging from handset satisfaction ratings to global smartphone shipments.

They’re handpicked by us to highlight the most important mobile user experience issues and each figure is explained to give you the inside story on what’s driving the numbers. If you’re want to really drill down into the trends shaping the industry, come and join us at MEX for two days of debate and creative thinking.

We thought we’d also take this opportunity to highlight several other great downloads you can grab to get insight into mobile user experience issues.

Gabriel White on the Small Surfaces blog has links to two great resources:

Jeff Axup’s thesis on designing for mobile communities. This is a serious academic work, providing complete analysis and graphical illustrations of how social communities interact and the impact this has on designing mobile services.

Brian Fling’s mammoth 150 page+ presentation entitled ‘Everything you always wanted to know about the mobile web…but were afraid to ask.’ Brian is the founder of the Blue Flavor consultancy and authored the document on behalf of dotMobi, the company formed by leading operators, handset vendors and content providers to promote the .mobi top level domain.

Netsize, the mobile entertainment company, publishes an annual review with independently researched stats from about 25 different geographical markets, including ARPU and data usage. Free registration is required.

This 70 page policy paper from Vodafone is now a couple of year’s old, but it has some fascinating insights into the impact of mobile telecoms in developing nations on the African continent. Vodafone involved some leading economists and academics in the project to produce a truly worthwhile body of research.

The Global Mobile Supplier’s Association (GSA) recently issued its latest market update, tracking worldwide deployments of different network technologies and the availability of compatible handset models. You can download a PDF containing stats such as which countries have deployed HSDPA and which are commited to deploying in the near future.

Our final recommendation isn’t really a download, but Unstrung has just published a great overview of the top 10 developing mobile telecom markets, which you can read here.