World's first eBook Heads Up Display - MegaReader

[QuickReader]

Help your loved ones stay safe this year with the world's first eBook HUD safety display. The top selling MegaReader iPhone ebook reader app now not only gives instant access to almost two million free eBooks, but also introduces Walk n’Read Heads Up Display technology which lets users avoid hazards while they walk and read.

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.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGNIVu1d4DI



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. 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.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/megareader-free-books-1-8/id387136454

[screwballl]

That is actually a really good idea! Of course people dumb enough to read while driving, walking or not paying attention needs their head examined or at least their phone taken away

[pendragginp]

That is actually a really good idea! Of course people dumb enough to read while driving, walking or not paying attention needs their head examined

Hello, I'm RIGHT HERE!

Of course I think driving and reading is really wrong, but I walk and read all the time.

Although yes, in the interests of full disclosure I do have to admit that in the course of a long life I have once bounced off a telephone pole.

And - um - once off a building.

[gmw]

My question is: Does anyone seriously believe a HUD will make any difference? I think their lawyers are right, I worry that it will encourage people to do what they should not be trying to do.

Either the constantly moving background will be so distracting that you wont be able to concentrate on what you're reading, or you'll be concentrating on reading and not really paying attention to what's going on behind the text. Either way it's a loser ... or am I the only one that has trouble paying useful levels of attention to two things at once.

[OtterBooks]

yeah something being visible isn't the same as paying attention to it. I call shenanigans.

[Nexutix]

Why would anyone like to get distracted while they read, because of things happening behind the phone/reader. Secondly, it is hard to read when the background is transparent.

[jhempel24]

So they want your battery to last 2 hours while reading? LOL