Connecting People

Image via WikipediaLast year I was invited to participate in an O2 research group and I have continued to trial services and provide feedback monthly. This evening as part of a task I was asked to attend a group discussion they were hosting at The Bell and Compass in Charing Cross so I went along to provide my opinion.

I arrived and waited at the bar for a while, attempted to call the host a few times but there was no reply. Eventually I received a heads up that everyone was downstairs, descended the stairs to the function area and began to take advantage of the free bar.

Once the introductions had taken place, there was a recap on what was expected from us and details about the usability of the website and it's features. We then got to talking about phone features including threaded messages, SMS, mobile Internet, phone usage and also we got to see the latest XDA handset. What impressed me about the handset was the Sat Nav, using Google Maps when travelling to London last week highlighted to me that a voice detailing the navigation would have been ideal. The Google maps application is great but riding alone it was difficult to be fully aware what was going on around me on the road as well as following the directions from the map.

I explained to them how using the iPhone has really evolved how I communicate, where before I would send a steady stream of text messages to people now through the apps for Facebook, Twitter etc and email I can stay in contact. Obviously when important matters are presented I would just call the person directly. As a service provider I can't fault O2 as they provide a great user experience, they listen to feedback received and through this product group they reward their best customers with the trial of new services and promotions by offering incentives.

Speaking to the O2 product/services team at the end of the session they spoke highly of their partnership with Apple and said that as well as providing an amazing handset they were also great to work with. Can Apple do no wrong?! An enjoyable evening and hopefully it won't be as long until the next event comes around!