We're pretty happy with just being able to get a clear cellular signal at our desk during the day, but a British mountain climber named Rod Bader seemingly won't be satisfied until he's able to gobble up some airtime minutes on top of the highest mountain on Earth. In a rather silly publicity stunt sponsored by Motorola, Bader will attempt to climb Mount Everest in late May, and, weather permitting, place a phone call from the summit through a tower located in China that has a clear line of sight to the north side of the peak. However, this means that world record holder Bader (he's climbed more of the world's highest points than anyone else, apparently) will need to follow a more difficult route to the top, and although he will have a support crew tagging along, the lack of Powersauce bars may prove to be his undoing. Oh, and if Bader emerges triumphant by asking someone "Can you hear me now?" for the record-breaking call, we've already hired some sherpas to ensure that he never makes it down from that mountain.
posted Apr 2nd 2007 10:05AM
Imagine the PR Moto will get if he plummets to his death while trying to make this call...
If they think driving while talking is dangerous...
Powersauce bars, bwa ha ha!
Powersauce bars are a Simpsons reference for all those confused.
It would be something awful if he does bother climbing all the way up there and can't get a signal.
I don't know about 'world's highest cellphone call', but I've received the 'world's drunkest cellphone call' a couple of times.
I'll gladly contribune to the sherpa fund if he does try "Can you hear me now?" Great slogan, but way overplayed by customers
I take it nobody has ever placed a phone call from an airplane flying at 33,000 feet or so?
"World's Highest Cellphone Call"? Haven't Woody Harrelson or Jason Mewes already claimed that record?
at&t should chime in and sponsor some of it along with moto
i believe a couple of people made phone calls from the hijacked planes in 911...lol...so that guy shouldn't even bother
If people were making phone calls during 911 they were MUCH closer to the ground than 29,000 feet.
This guy is doing nothing special. This is coming from someone who has climbed Everest from the same route AND made a phone call from the top - see link below.
It's amazing the shit that people do to try and get sponsorship - good on him for getting the cash. . .
http://www.explorersweb.com/ex018/videos/summit.wav
1. The North-Ridge is NOT the hardest route - it's one of the easiest - he'll be surrounded by 100's of other climbers.
2. I am almost certain that there will be no cellular connection - my guess is that he'll be using a satphone just like everyone else. Perhpas an Iridium sat phone (Motorola 9505) that's 7 years old at least.
3. The world's highest phone call happens at least 50-80 times a year - everyone makes a sat phone call from the top.
C'mon Engadet - how do you let this stuff get posted?
Sorry I would have posted earlier but I couldn't get around David D'Angelo's ego.
Anyway,David - I never heard about your phone call, but I am reading about this one - that should tell you something.
there is a diff between satphone (iridum and the like) and true cellphone connecting to a local cell tower. One is easy. The other requires infrastructure.
I'm pretty sure they did something kinda like this in the 60's with astronauts...
Several calls and text messages were completed by Rod Baber from the summit using the the Moto RIZR Z8 cellphone, not a satellite phone.