Put Down the Phone and Look Up!

Reality App Debuts; Getting Back to Life 1.0
JCwire: San Francisco

The latest app in the smartphone wars emerged today, ironically urging users to abandon their love of the small screen in favor of a 360º view of what’s actually happening around them.

With a million apps available for each of the IOS and Android platforms, we’ve gotten overwhelmed with games, messaging and general distraction,” said James Derwin, developer at ChandlerCraft. “We as viewers are so lost in our phones, we’re missing what’s really happening in our lives – or what could be happening.”

Called Life 1.0, the app reminds the user of things to do or contemplate that do not require a smartphone. Sample messages include: Talk face to face with a friend. Teach your child something new. Look up; you’re about to run into something! Also offered are audio recordings, such as a stern voice issuing a command: “Step away from the phone!”

Claiming to offer many social benefits, Derwin projected that “our app could prevent thousands of car accidents and pedestrian collisions each year. We haven’t even attempted to assess the regained productivity for those who decide to just get back to work.”

The genesis for the idea hit Derwin while visiting Disneyland. “I saw parents bringing their kids to the Happiest Place on Earth; and instead of celebrating the child’s joy with them, parents had their faces buried in a cell phone. It was just too much!” He went on to cite Disney statistics showing a 233% rise in the number of lost children since the iphone debut in 2007.

Thus far the app is available in two versions: the Orthodox gathers information from a viewer’s calendar, reminders, to-do and goal lists and presents all that in one screen. “It shocks you into the awareness of how much you have to do and scares you off posting, tweeting and browsing,” explains co-developer Jesse Delatorre. “Basically, it kicks you back to real-world tasks at hand – somewhere between a taser and a hollering mother.”

Nature is softer, coaxing the viewer back to noticing and enjoying things around them. “The value lies in getting the viewer – we don’t like to call them ‘users’ – to stop and see the beauty of nature or the tenderness of human interaction,” explains Derwin. “We’re getting too close to some SciFi trip where everyone is locked up in a cryobox and only exists in a network. I want to walk up, tap people on the shoulder, and invite them to lift their heads to enjoy the wonderful things available on this planet.” Shrugging with frustration, he added, “When sex gets relegated to an app, I’m throwing away the phone!”

Delatorre explained the development strategy. “We have two versions to accommodate different styles. Some people need a gentle nudge; others need a kick in the butt. Either way, we’ve got them covered.” Asked whether more versions were under development, he lamented a lack of investment interest. “We went out for $100 million in seed funding. The VCs had no problem with the number, but they couldn’t get behind a business model that encourages viewers to leave the ad delivery platform. It devalued their entire portfolios!”

The pair are looking into a Shareware model or charitable crowd funding.” If successful, the two plan to develop personalized versions of the app with profile information. A viewer could specify what’s really important to them – key desires in their lives, meaningful things they could be doing or working on. The app could then present reminders when queried. “We can even trigger delivery to certain events on the phone, such as when they’ve been on facebook longer than an hour,” said Derwin. “It could shoot up a reminder that there’s more to life, that their kid would love to play ball with them or learn to ride that bike he got for Christmas.”

We’re working toward a world that shares emotion with a hug or a kiss instead of a ‘Like,’” said Delatorre, sighing. “ We’ve got a long way to go.”

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