The smartphone is perhaps man’s greatest invention, but the increasing amount of people glued to their screens is a bit disheartening. Weren’t we supposed to be freed from the shackles of fixed offices and schedules by our mobile devices? Why is it then that people poke and prod at their gadgets as if the digital world is more important or even more interesting than the world in front of them? Microsoft is looking to capitalize on this sentiment with a series of videos they’re calling “Real Time Trials” that show just how quickly you can achieve certain tasks when you use Windows Phone 7. The ads may appear odd to some since the message is “use your phone less, get back to the real world”, but for many geeks who are facing the point of digital saturation this operating system couldn’t have been launched at a better time. Palm did something similar with their ancient Palm OS. They didn’t use ads to highlight how easy their devices were to use, but they did make it publicly known that they had one guy they hired whose job was to count the number of taps it took to complete an action. The goal was to obviously reduce the number of steps once had to take to get something done.
The benefits of an easier and faster to use operating system don’t stop with letting you get back to the real world either. If your screen needs to be powered for fewer minutes throughout the day, then you get more battery life. And if you’re one the type of person who likes to use their mobile device while driving or walking around town, the the faster you put your handset back in your pocket, the more attention you can pay to the road and the people and sights around you.
[Via: Pocket Now]