Don’t we often hanker for the simpler days of our past? Have we found ourselves beseeched by #FirstWorldProblems too often simply because we introduced a miasma of complication to it? Sometimes — actually, perhaps all the time? — the best way to simplify life, is to simplify the devices in your life.
Can’t figure out what your SmartTV does (do you need all that it does, anyway?)? Simply get a regular one and just make it a big screen while you’re at it. It’s not like you need to browse the internet on your TV when you already have a laptop on your desk and an iPad in your lap.
All these reasons are perhaps why Punkt, the Swiss design-led consumer technology company, recently presented the MP 01 mobile phone as part of the London Design Festival’s initiative ‘Ten Designers in the West Wing.’ Designed by Jasper Morrison, who also recently designed cute little prefab huts for Muji, the MP 01 is an uncomplicated device that performs only the most basic mobile phone functions: calling, texting, and setting an alarm.
And no, you are not being punk’d.
With no Facebook status updates or multiple other alerts to deal with, the MP 01 aims to get people focused on the things that matter, like being in the moment. According to Petter Neby, founder and CEO of Punkt, “Technology is a very powerful tool, but as our lives become increasingly complicated, it is important to find time to disconnect and rediscover the simple things.”
With that in mind, the MP 01 is meant to deliver a well-designed, intuitive alternative to multifunctional devices. And indeed, Punkt’s philosophy is to create consumer electronics that rebalance people’s relationship with technology.
Contrary to today’s disposable culture, the robust MP 01 is made to last and has been constructed using long-lasting materials including a high specification camera paint finish and a damage-resistant Gorilla glass. The handset has a soft touch texture and a moulded back plate to make it comfortable to hold and allow it to sit easily on any surface.
Its elegantly monochromatic and minimalist design is meant to be accessible and unobtrusive, with easy-to-use large round buttons and a streamlined interface for ease of use. The modest 2.0 inch LCD display is a far cry from the almost-vulgar 7- or 8-inches commonly touted today — which also makes its long lasting battery life a token, given its lower energy usage.
However, just so you are not completely un-savvy, its Bluetooth connection means it can be connected with car systems and headsets, and contacts can be backed up and synced to a PC or Mac.
So voilà — #FirstWorldProblemsNoMore! Or at least, here’s a start.
The MP 01 will initially be released in black, with two additional colourways to follow in 2016; find out more here: twentytwentyone.com.
