Are you tired of driving into trees and causing ten car pileups while trying to read and drive at the same time? Tired of always falling into open manholes or getting run over by buses when walking down the street while trying to read your favorite novel?
If this has happened to you then you are in desperate need of the MegaReader ereading app for iPhone with its new Heads Up Display feature that uses your phone’s camera to superimpose what’s in front of you on the background of the phone’s display.
Inkstone Software’s new ad campaign for their MegaReader app is “tongue-in-cheek”, and what’s funniest about it is that some people are too dense to realize it.
A couple of days ago this video showed up on YouTube advertising MegaReader’s new Heads Up Display feature.
Then today Inkstone issued a press release that’s even funnier than the video. My favorite is the helpful guide to walking and reading, and Inkstone’s lawyers’ thoughts on the new campaign.
Portland, OR January 20, 2011 — Inkstone Software today announces the launch of a revolutionary new safety feature for its popular MegaReader iPhone eBook reader. Walk n’Read HUD is the first ebook reader which uses the iPhone’s rear facing camera to let you read books and documents on the move while staying aware of hazardous obstacles in your path.
Recent newspaper reports from around the world have graphically illustrated the dangers of walking while browsing your smartphone. A New York Times article last year highlighted the fact that more than 1000 pedestrians a year end up in hospital because of accidents which happen while they use their phones on the move.
“One of our users recently pointed out to us the risks you take when you walk and read”, confirms Inkstone CEO Patrick Thompson, “So we decided there and then that we would be the first company in the world to introduce a Heads Up Display screen, so people could rest easy knowing their loved ones were safe on the streets”.
The result should mean no more unplanned trips down open manholes, excursions into fountains while texting and no need to place soft cushions around lamposts on sidewalks. Safe at last.
Inkstone intends to roll out the revolutionary Walk n’Read HUD technology to all of its product line over the coming months, and the company hopes that this will pioneer a more caring attitude towards safety issues by the global smartphone development community as a whole.
“If we can help save one young person from risk of serious damage or worse, then I will be happy,” says Thompson, “There are too many hazards in this world as it is without adding the dangers of walking and reading to the list.”
Inkstone has also released a short guide for people who regularly walk and read, in the hopes that safe reading will become a byword across the nation.
- Before going out on the street, practice reading safely while strolling around your own home. Feel free to hum.
- Keep your phone at a safe distance from your face, to avoid unsightly secondary impact lesions in the event of an unfortunate accident.
- Even while using Walk n’Read HUD, keep your peripheral vision alert at all times. You never know when danger might strike from an angle!
- Walk a little slower than you usually do, to maximize your evasive reaction time.
- Loitering cats, especially black, usually mean trouble. Be prepared.
- Never attempt to pilot a high speed vehicle, or bicycle, while using Walk n’Read HUD.
- Never read while crossing a road, fast flowing river or other unpredictably tricky obstacle.
MegaReader with Walk n’Read HUD, access to 1.8 million free books and a preloaded selection of 26 free classic ebooks, is available for $1.99 from the App Store. Screenshots and more information are available on the MegaReader website at www.megareader.net. The Walk n’Read feature is only available on devices with cameras and those running iOS 4.0 or later.
Please note, our lawyers suffered a total sense of humor meltdown when they saw our new campaign, and threatened to resign immediately unless we told you all that this announcement is meant to be firmly ‘tongue-in-cheek’. We do not guarantee that you will come to no harm while using MegaReader or your mobile device, and we specifically disclaim any liability for your use of the program or your mobile device in any way. We do not recommend that you walk and read, drive and read, climb and read or perform any other potentially dangerous or illegal activity while using MegaReader or your mobile device, and any such uses are entirely at your own risk. Please read responsibly.