Erik Ahlgren talks design

Erik Ahlgren, the designer responsible for Sony Ericsson's flagship product, The T610, meets me at the door to the design center in a white T-shirt and jeans. As we shake hands and exchange introductions, two things strike me immediately. His youth and the energy and enthusiasm in his eyes.

I'm ushered into an area alive with activity. In the center of the large, office-lined space small groups of people sit around low tables, pouring over drawings and speaking animatedly. Others peruse shelves packed with magazines and books. My host points at a room shielded from view behind the shelves and explains that it's there the designers have their desks - and here that the newest examples of Sony Ericsson design spring to life. We settle into chairs around our own low table covered with an assortment of telephones and fall into conversation: