iPhone takes on semi, lives to tell the tale

We though we'd seen it all when it came to creative device destruction -- iPod with a bullet: check, exploding laptops: check, everything in a blender: double check -- but we've never seen anything spend over an hour on the highway and survive. Yet that's exactly what Mike Beauchamp's iPhone did after he left it on his trunk and drove off from a gas station -- and the kicker is that just as he was about to run out and grab it, he watched it get run over by a semi truck. Shockingly, the unit still work perfectly, even receiving a call as Mike finally nabbed it. Obviously, it's missing a few chunks and there are some broken pixels, but the touch sensitivity is solid, and it sounds like Mike's been talking to Apple PR about using it in a promo -- how's that for random luck? Check the read link for a few more pics of the damage.

[Paul @ Feb 2nd 2008 2:44AM]

He's talking to Apple PR?? It's jailbroken. Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'

[euclid @ Feb 2nd 2008 2:46AM]

Evil shall prevail.

[skulldriveshaft @ Feb 2nd 2008 2:52AM]

Judas Phone Lives!

[helloUser @ Feb 2nd 2008 2:53AM]

As if other electronics that survive a beating don't deserve a blog entry on engadget............only apple products get that treatment.

[pcgecko85 @ Feb 2nd 2008 2:56AM]

It was run over by a semi, i think that deserves some late night props.

[sk8rpro @ Feb 2nd 2008 2:59AM]

I wonder how much Apple bribed him to tell this "true" story.

[Carbonize @ Feb 2nd 2008 2:59AM]

I dropped my phone down the toilet and it still worked. Think I deserve an entry in Engadget.

[aguiluz @ Feb 2nd 2008 8:21PM]

My old phone took a helluvalot of beatings and got drowned in the lake and it just needs a whack (literal) to revive. That may deserve an article here!

[Zak @ Feb 4th 2008 12:29PM]

@ Carbonize - why, because you're a klutz? Oh, and also because getting water on it is the same thing as getting run over by an 18 wheeler?

[Carbonize @ Feb 4th 2008 12:50PM]

Wow Zak you really have no sense of humour do you. You see my post is what we refer to as a joke. You can find out what a joke is by reading http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=joke and if you need help with any of the big words feel free to ask a grown up.

[darren @ Feb 2nd 2008 3:07AM]

"..and it sounds like Mike's been talking to Apple PR about using it in a promo.."

And when is Engadget thinking of doing a promo with Apple?

Oh wait..

[nikster @ Feb 2nd 2008 3:13AM]

My grandfather always said there are no true stories or false stories. Only good stories and bad stories. This is a good one. Keep it up, Mike :)

[Kevin @ Feb 2nd 2008 3:19AM]

Even if Apple puts in into a promo it will still be better than the pilot ad

[Hashbrown_Hunter @ Feb 2nd 2008 3:25AM]

Wow...I'm pretty sick of people bashing on Engadget for apparently treating Apple like gods. I think they report on other news too guys. Get over it.

[purezerg @ Feb 2nd 2008 3:44AM]

I dropped my nikon D2x into the sea(beach). I just pick it up and continue shooting. any iphone wanna try that?

[kakapo @ Feb 2nd 2008 3:48AM]

Apple is not interested - read the comments in the last Fliker Fotos!

Engadget, I know it promotes readership - but get your facts straight!

Cool story but I am sure Apple is not going to put a jailbroke phone into an ad.

Cheers!

[John @ Feb 2nd 2008 4:00AM]

Phone's are actually tougher than they first appear, my Nokia 3220 has survived so so much, about 4 trips through the washing machine, Being dropped into a telecommunications Pit with 2m of water and a host of other things including being dropped from the roof of my house onto the concrete. After owning it 3 years it finally died when the screen gave up, the phone itself still works just not the screen.

This doesn't much surprise me, ok so a big truck drove over it, that's cool but again depends how the truck ran over it ;). And how flat the tyres were =P

I hope he gets a new one, if not he can sell it on Ebay and go buy a new one.

[Carbonize @ Feb 2nd 2008 4:13AM]

Come to think of it I suppose the only news worthy thing about this story is that the guy thought that it was worth posting his story on the web. I mean as we all know something stupid happens to a mobile phone somewhere all the time. Put in washing machines, dropped from heights, eaten by pets etc and still they work. Just that nobody else is surprised that their phone is strong enough to have survived it.

[Ocelot13 @ Feb 2nd 2008 4:26AM]

in other news... 360 survives car accident...and *gasp* still works....and here comes the double *gasp gasp* Microsoft not only replaced it for him, but also sent him replacement games and accessories. lets see apple do that

http://www.engadget.com/2006/11/17/xbox-360-survives-multi-roll-car-crash-keeps-churning/

[marko mandaric @ Feb 2nd 2008 4:45AM]

who cares. honestly... it's 11mm thick, it wont get that hurt.

jesus.

[enric @ Feb 2nd 2008 4:44AM]

of course apple would laugh at his face. they brought in myth busters and it got busted.

[allaina @ Feb 2nd 2008 5:01AM]

you know, i have a 5.5g ipod video, and it got hit by two trucks and a car, and it still works great.

so, honestly, i'm not at all surprised by this.

[w00t @ Feb 2nd 2008 6:53AM]

Who the hell would leave their phone on their car anyway?
That's just asking for it to be lost/stolen/run over :)

[xbit @ Feb 2nd 2008 7:12AM]

My Macbook Pro survived being dropped into a volcano and eaten by a troll. True story.

[Zack Johnston @ Feb 2nd 2008 7:50AM]

My 18-wheeler, semi-truck ran over an iPhone and survived. Think the truck company is interested in my story?

[bartoron @ Feb 2nd 2008 8:07AM]

My little brother got hit by a 747 and he still works, I think he deserves a story.

[Pavan @ Feb 4th 2008 1:08AM]

bartoron
@ Feb 2nd 2008 8:07AM
My little brother got hit by a 747 and he still works, I think he deserves a story.


That little FODker!

[richard knights @ Feb 2nd 2008 8:12AM]

I'm more than happy to give Steve Jobs a beating, run him over, etc and see if he still works afterwards

[richard knights @ Feb 2nd 2008 8:16AM]

by the way "semi" has a different meaning in the UK. ie: he had a semi on!!!...if you get my drift.
Brings a whole new meaning to the post

[fanman @ Feb 2nd 2008 8:56AM]

Yeah I loled at that...

[Feldwebel Wolfenstool @ Feb 2nd 2008 9:25AM]

Get a unit, scratch it up a lot, pull a piece of plastic off it, cook up a big COCK and BULL story....His Royal Steveness, Mr.Megalomaniac will love the attention...probably send the iDIOT a new Airhead Lapdog.

[Chip @ Feb 2nd 2008 9:43AM]

Engadget will find any reason to put the iphone in a story. Can we expect similar Windows Mobile stories of survival? Blackberries? Didn't think so.

[Joe @ Feb 2nd 2008 9:48AM]

Forget iPhones! I was personally run over by a semi! How bout my own blog entry 'gadge?

[adrian @ Feb 2nd 2008 10:24AM]

Another, so what IPhone post.

[Karl Viklund @ Feb 2nd 2008 10:25AM]

Is this even news?

[Tim @ Feb 2nd 2008 10:25AM]

I saw a blackberry 8703e that was eaten by a coyote. True story. The guy came in afterwords to do an insurance claim at my store.

The dude was hunting coyote (well, bait and shoot is a pretty loose definition of "hunt") and dropped his berry in the bait bucket. He didn't know it, and didnt find out until he shot said coyote and found a bunch of plastic in its mouth.

He looked in the bait pile and found part of it. The chunk he found was chewed up pretty good, and the screen quit working, but it would still recieve calls and texts, and never went offline.

And a side note, Asurion, the cell phone insurance company, does not cover phone "loss" due to "rodents, insects, vermin, or other wild animals".

I have seen plenty of moto razrs get run over by al types of vehicles and come out working just fine. I saw an lg 3200 that was flushed by a three year old so bad that it took a plumber to retrieve it, and it worked for about 3 months, then was upgraded.

I also saw an lg 6000 that was dropped, unknowingly, in wet concrete. The owner did not find it until his wife complained that the cement was the wrong color (?) so he started over, and found it in the waste cement. when he plugged it in, it worked just fine, so he returned the replacement he bought and kept on using it.

crazy shit happens to cell phones every day. This isn't really news.

[Pavan @ Feb 4th 2008 1:11AM]

I was really hoping that the intestinal tract hammered out an SMS or something!

[Daniel @ Feb 2nd 2008 10:50AM]

I wonder what the other side looks like?

Daniel
www.pixel-based.com

[Nathan Wiering @ Feb 2nd 2008 10:52AM]

My tc4200 had the same thing happen to it, and it survived. I am typing on it right now. Do I get an entry??? I can take better pictures....

[Mehul @ Feb 2nd 2008 10:54AM]

My first Sony Ericsson T610 got run over by an Accord. Worked fine.

[Timothy Sottek @ Feb 2nd 2008 11:19AM]

Another story about the iPhone, cancel or allow?

*sigh,* allow.

[Christian Martin @ Feb 2nd 2008 11:18AM]

"Yet that's exactly what Mike Beauchamp's iPhone did after he left it on his trunk and drove off from a gas station"

So, what we're saying is that the iPhone is as hard as Mike's head?

[Shane Lloyd @ Feb 2nd 2008 11:36AM]

Why do all you guys waste time posting that this post is stupid and a waste of time? It makes no sense. I'm pretty sure you are all just bitter or jealous of Apple and it's products getting the lime light after the haydays of Microsoft et al.

[snitch @ Feb 2nd 2008 11:47AM]

well one thing to love about the iphone is how you could just pick up another and plug it in to itunes and just click restore and everything will be there, even your notes and call log. i lost one to the subway rails about 2 weeks ago, its cost me $429 for a new one but at least i did not put my life at risk, and since my iphone was protected by a sim pin that kicks in once the unit is restarted or the sim is remove, and a passcode that kicks in every 5 minutes, i said the hell with it and left it there

[Fuzzball @ Feb 2nd 2008 11:50AM]

I want to see the screen. The glass should be cracked. If it's not, my friend's iPhone that dropped two feet was defective.

[mstngo @ Feb 2nd 2008 11:54AM]

My iPhone was dropped in a puddle of water and after it dried off it worked perfectly...

It was a deep puddle too the phone was totally submerged.

I am lucky as hell

[snitch @ Feb 2nd 2008 12:14PM]

@Fuzzball i doubt that, unless it landed on a rock face front. iphone class breaks like any other class but i must say its real tuff and any iphone owner will tell you. but i also have heard a couple of my friends too saying that they had broken their screen on theirs, the problems is they really have never had one. LOL

[Joe @ Feb 2nd 2008 12:34PM]

I really don't get all the Apple/Engadget bashing that occurs whenever they post an Apple related story. In my RSS feed I see over 40 current stories with only 2 of them being Apple related. It seems the mere mention of Apple sends some people off into a psychotic episode. When Engadget is critical of an Apple product these same people see it as glorious praise instead. It is a bit disturbing to see so many people with such a distorted view of reality who have such a violent reaction towards an inanimate object.

[Markus @ Feb 2nd 2008 1:27PM]

Yea most of those scratches will buff right out.

[apple @ Feb 2nd 2008 1:30PM]

how about an iphone that survived 8 days in a chicago winter storm:
http://dankim.org/blog/2008/01/iphone-hacking-community-saved-and.html