MegaFon confirms butch iPhone deal for Russia

While "market sources" had already spoken of a deal with MTS to bring the iPhone 3G to Russia, local carrier MegaFon has stepped-to, ex-KGB-like and confirmed its own deal. In a terse, presumably shirt-less announcement made while fishing, Russia's third largest carrier said, "The sales of iPhone in Russia will start this year." The spokesman then shot and wrestled this endangered Tiger to the ground as proof of MegaFon's superior 3G network.

[jogeneer @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:46AM]

Putin calls radio-controlled-and-tame tigers for aid with his iPhone, saves camera team.

[LondonConsultant @ Sep 2nd 2008 4:31AM]

Queues of iPhone customers forming in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, MegaFon announces.

[vileta2 @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:46AM]

Whats KBG? :P

[mrbman @ Sep 2nd 2008 5:04AM]

the KGB is the secret police the russians had during soviet times similar to fbi only pure evil...

[Freakin Ijit @ Sep 2nd 2008 5:31AM]

The KBG is the SECRET secret service of Russia, unlike the public secret service KGB. Somewhat equivalent to the NRO, whose name used to be classified, too.

Or at least that's what I've read somewhere on the 'Net.

[Tim @ Sep 2nd 2008 7:28AM]

@mrbman
If the kgb is that much more horrible than the FBI, they must do some pretty heinous things. I know some poor sots will go along with w/e the us govt tells you, but I'm sure there's nothing the kgb has done that the FBI hasn't; and at least the KGB isn't entirely unconstitutional (though the whole russian situation complicates that, so I can't be too critical on that point.) Expect a low ranking!
p.s vileta was calling out the kbg spelling, not asking what the KGB was, dumbass.

[Kurt @ Sep 2nd 2008 2:58PM]

@Tim
The FBI are by no means saints, but it's the CIA that is known for far more egregious abuses.

[Johan S @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:51AM]

The tiger is an awesome majestic animal. Too bad it wanted to eat me so I had to shoot it.

[rony @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:51AM]

for those who are confused that's Vladimir Putin who apperently saved a television camera crew from a tiger attack in the Ussuri tiger reserve in siberia.....he brought down the tiger with a dart gun before it could do any harm......thats a sattellite transmitter hes putting around the tiger's neck and the iphone is of course photoshopped
p.s. sometimes you need a captain obvious........when some jokes go over ur head

[gad get @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:52AM]

Captain Obvious to the rescue!

[Wiigee @ Sep 2nd 2008 4:21AM]

nice, thats badass! good thing we never actually fought these guys, they are hardcore.

[Cash @ Sep 2nd 2008 4:52AM]

Wow... that doesn't sound staged at all. Next he'll be lifting crashed buses off orphans he just happened to come across on his morning constitutional. Oh that Putin... he needs himself a theme song.

[Mug3n @ Sep 2nd 2008 5:59AM]

@cash
He already has one :
Такого как Путин !

[Mug3n @ Sep 2nd 2008 6:08AM]

@Cash :
He already has one ..
http://russmus.net/song.jsp?band=Poyushchie_Vmeste&album=0&song=0 Here ..

[omnicloud @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:51AM]

Huh?

[gad get @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:53AM]

That's my reaction upon seeing your avatar.

[Magnulus @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:54AM]

Sometimes, I really wish you people would stop trying to be so hilarious, because when you try to force it, it's just not funny.

[Reader @ Sep 2nd 2008 4:21AM]

Might I redirect you to news.cnet.com? I'm not always laughing it up when reading Engadget articles, but they're at least easy to read and often entertaining.

[phanbouy @ Sep 2nd 2008 4:25AM]

in soviet russia, funny force you

[Thomas Ricker @ Sep 2nd 2008 5:37AM]

Man you guys are tough. I suppose you don't find humor in the antics of Gee Dub either. I find these obvious attempts at machismo, character development absolutely hilarious.

The backstory for those who don't get it:

http://www.iht.com/articles/reuters/2008/08/31/europe/OUKWD-UK-RUSSIA-PUTIN-TIGER.php

Thomas

[Darwin @ Sep 2nd 2008 4:24AM]

I come to engadget for 3 reasons:
-gadget news
-cleverly funny write-ups
-comments about japanese models posing with gadgets

Combinations of any of the above are ideal, but at least we're hitting one with Mr. Ricker's posting.

[Andrew Dolgov @ Sep 2nd 2008 5:44AM]

Please add something about how all russians are stupid drunks, riding on white bears on the streets of Moscow. That would make your hilarious joke even funnier.

[MMM @ Sep 2nd 2008 6:48AM]

You say stupid drunks? Such stereotypes did not came out of nowhere. Russia is shedding almost 800 000 souls a year due to poverty, lack of medical care and not least the famous vodka.
And do not even tell me tales about Russian "peacekeping" or respect for the freedom-loving nations, when Russia has killed 150000 trully freedom loving Chechens.
Only vodka brainwashed people do not see this.

[Mug3n @ Sep 2nd 2008 5:57AM]

Wow .. jokes at Engadget are more Rusofobic towards every news that comes from that land .

[Russian Men @ Sep 2nd 2008 6:48AM]

Я конечно понимаю, что Америкосы не любят русских, но это не значит что русские плохие. Apple iPhone у нас ждали не меньше чем у Вас. Так что повежлевей.

[Alex @ Sep 2nd 2008 6:49AM]

Sometimes I don't get it. Is Endgadget about actually gadgets or it's just another place to do the trash politics. And about Putin and KGB. Putin shot tiger with tranquilizer while Cheney shot a lawyer in the face with a gun. KGB is pure evil while FBI is pure good? Everyone unencrypted your hard drives and firewalls down for TSA check-ups. Anyone?

[Favro @ Sep 2nd 2008 7:46AM]

Huh? That was a hilarious play on the absolutely absurd tiger shooting incident and made another "iPhone launched in country X" post very funny!

[Matt @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:27AM]

Why yes, I also like to make crazy inferences from a five line article.

It's called a joke, and you're called an idiot.

[BlackHat @ Sep 2nd 2008 7:12AM]

Well white BMW X6 are far more common in Moscow than white bears, as for stupid and drunk, those kind of people live in every country, and if you compare the percentage of people with university education in Russia and other countries, you can easily notice that Russia isn't exactly swamped with stupid people.

Don't get me wrong I'm not a fan, but you gotta face the facts.

[Tadas Simokaitis @ Sep 2nd 2008 7:03AM]

Can't just someone bomb the country in question?

[fontendet24 @ Sep 3rd 2008 2:12AM]

Stupid asshole!
Just drink you poison and die already.

[MMM @ Sep 2nd 2008 7:44AM]

Face the facts you say? The fact is that there are many people with diplomas in Russia, but very few people with real higher education (and most of them are either already working abroad or going to). Save for the Kremlin and vodka loving inteligentsia, and some working for the military.

[EdgeOne @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:53AM]

Grrrrreat photo Engadget! LOL I want a job in your photoshop dept. How fun.

[maxray @ Sep 18th 2008 6:09AM]

Hello, I live in Russia, just fed my bear, you know, the white one, drank some cranberry vodka and then went to Engadget and saw this article. Do you know that we got better 3G networks than Alaska in our region, while we are a little bit norther? Remember that Soviet Russia owns teh Intarnet.

[maxray @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:48AM]

Oh, I forgot, we don't have KGB anymore, we have FSB. Remember that — Putin once was its chief.

[twintips @ Sep 2nd 2008 11:24AM]

so much hate here! It's just a post!

We have a CDMA carrier in Manitoba, Canada called MTS so I got a good chuckle out of this! They cover Russia now?

everyone just relax, too much animosity over a post! Clean the sand out of your vaginas!

[Makaveli @ Sep 2nd 2008 2:41PM]

Truth about Ossetia: http://www.nebog.com/truthaboutwar.htm

[ValexV @ Sep 5th 2008 4:48PM]

Если есть здесь русскоговорящие, переведите это на английский: разве нельзя жить мирно. Почему вы, американцы, так не любите русских? Почему такие странные и убогие стереотипы?