Beocom Serene

With BeoCom Serene we wanted to utilise the clamshell principle to make maximum difference between the states of the mobile phone when in use and not in use. When the phone is idle, it is a completely closed shape without any visible connecting lines or unwelcome mechanical details. Two almost symmetrical and slightly curved sides are bound together by a crafted genuine aluminum hinge completely symmetrical in its form. The phone can be placed upright on the table, standing proud and easier to find. A small gap between the two parts indicates that there is more inside.

When you open the phone it becomes much bigger with a large display that provides ample room for text and names. The keys are placed around a central wheel, which is used for your phonebook. When you hold a small item in your hand and want to touch it with your thumb, the easiest part to touch is the upper part. That is why we placed the keys at the top part and the display at the lower. This also made it possible to place the speaker at the center so you could cover your entire ear with the surface. This reduced unwanted noise and provided a better sound. The screen would never touch your skin and it would stay clean without any grease on its surface.

The shape is solidly centred at the hinge with clean, smooth shapes. The phone became a very male and a very female object at the same time. Some people thought it was a totally masculine phone while others found it very feminine. To quote Torsten Valeur: “When you reach the perception that it is both 100% male and 100% female, you can be sure that it is not an indifferent product.”