It is the time of year when many requests will be made for gifts to improve – at least in perception – their daily existence. But ask many what the greatest gift they can receive is and they will tell you “more time”.
Time is getting away from us at an alarming rate, and this trend shows no signs of ceasing. I had my first mobile phone at 17 years old, and since then barely a day has transpired without my trusty mobile device at my side. Since then much has changed; Nokia have come and gone, the duopoly of Apple and Blackberry has been invaded – at the latters expense – and now the formation of a new duopoly of Apple and Samsung is seemingly under threat by a plethora of capable ‘new’ manufacturers.
This for me is magnificent. Don’t get me wrong, Apple and Samsung have a substantial segment of the market, but look to the global markets and regionally other brands have held their own; be it Huawei in China or Sony in Japan; the ‘liberative’ system of Android gives a platform for other brands to compete with the domineering Apple OS. Even Blackberry have given it a try with their first Blackberry Android handset – the Blackberry Priv1.
But what is really great about this new market of phones are the ones that acknowledge the adverse aggressively invasive nature of these multifunction devices that, while being great for efficiency, eat into that most precious gift of time. Some will argue that these phones give us more time due to their efficiency, but the resounding truth is that they simply allow you to do more in the time you have, whilst serving as a constant reminder of impending tasks to follow. We are now well and truly a global market and with this comes 24hr demands, again good for business, bad for one’s time. This new breed of handset takes away all the ‘noise’, and gives you simplicity at its serene best.
The Punkt. MP01 is the mobile phone Dieter Rams would use, with its minimal calculator-esque design both familiar and forward thinking. With less time worrying about ‘what’s next’ it allows you to remain in the now. Aesthetically, this is something you would want on your desk, non-visually invasive, yet elegant in its simplicity.
If someone wants you, they can call you. If they don’t want to call you they can text you – that’s it. With this lack of email, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram etc, etc your mind can truly switch off and make the most of those precious moments; that miraculous time you actually have to yourself. Now that my friends, is a real gift.
PUNKT.CH
- Rather offensively, ‘Blackberry Priv’ is short for Blackberry Private… I know, but apparently it’s a good phone. ↩
