More deceased taking cellphones, PMPs to their graves

It's been happening for centuries in one form or another, but packing in a favorite diecast car or trophy just seems a bit different than sending your loved one six feet under with a BlackBerry 7290. According to the London-based The Future Laboratory think tank, the amount of people arranging to have their cellphones or portable media players buried with them is on the rise, with a family service counselor for Hollywood Forever funeral home and cemetery stating that "it seems that everyone under 40 who dies takes their cellphone with them." Truth be told, the psychology behind it isn't all that odd; after all, in today's world, mobile phones go a long way to connecting one person with other loved ones. Just make sure to not go down with a Vertu or the like -- wouldn't want to get unwillingly exhumed, now would we?

[Image courtesy of cc275, via The Inquirer]

[pavlindrom @ Dec 17th 2008 9:33AM]

In case the person has only been in a terrible comma for 2-3 days, and has come to their senses in the bitter cold, this would help. Too bad that in countries that this could happen, cellphones are not all that common.

[sndmn23 @ Dec 17th 2008 9:57AM]

Maybe. Not sure what the reception would be like six feet under.

[Soop @ Dec 17th 2008 9:56AM]

That was along the lines of what I thought. It's not unheard of for people to be incorrectly assumed deceased. It'd be nice to have a way of contacting someone to rectify the fault.

The only problem is, if I take my diamond, the battery would be flat by the time I come to...

[suprxtragrav @ Dec 17th 2008 10:27AM]

I thought there was usually about 30 mins worth of oxygen inside a coffin once it gets buried. If you're in a coma and you get buried alive, i highly doubt that you would last long enough down there to even regain consciousness, let alone dial a number (assuming there was reception underneath the ceramic/concrete plate they surround your coffin in) and wait for someone to come and rescue you, which at minimum would take several hours.

[soop @ Dec 17th 2008 10:43AM]

@ suprxtragrav; If you were in a coma you'd use less oxygen, but come on - at least a phone would give you a fighting chance, mirite?

Better than trying to claw your way out alone. Or yelling.

[Flashpoint @ Dec 17th 2008 10:45AM]

APPLE iTOMBS

[Jack @ Dec 17th 2008 10:51AM]

this is assuming you managed to survive the embalming process...

[OneLove @ Dec 17th 2008 11:30AM]

I've always said, "AT&T is da devil", I wonder how many bars you get in hell.

[kingu @ Dec 17th 2008 2:21PM]

That would be 30 mins to be known as "the best prank call session ever".

[superhobo @ Dec 17th 2008 9:34AM]

Sad...

First! (also sad)

[superhobo @ Dec 17th 2008 9:48AM]

Not first...even sadder ;_;

[Jeff P. @ Dec 17th 2008 9:50AM]

FAIL! (saddest)

[fredwifi @ Dec 17th 2008 9:38AM]

Is there Copy & Paste in heaven/hell?

[who? @ Dec 17th 2008 9:47AM]

On Sunday I saw a giant iPhone in one of those commercial televised churches... I'm going with "No Copy&Paste" for $666 Alex.

[fanman @ Dec 17th 2008 11:17AM]

They can take a running jump if they think they're locking me into AT&T for $30 a month beyond the grave.

[Jason @ Dec 17th 2008 3:29PM]

Yeah and no matter where you end up, the out of body roaming charges would be hell.

[JustAGuy @ Dec 17th 2008 9:41AM]

I use my iPod and iPhone every day, but seriously? I hope that if I went suddenly, my family would either keep them and use them, or give them away , and let someone else enjoy them. My favorite coaching whistle? That better be around my neck!

[who? @ Dec 17th 2008 9:53AM]

I want to be buried with my phone in case I suddenly come back to life. Maybe I could call for help before I ran out of air?

Two years after I'm buried:
*Gasps for air* "No service? Dammit!! They buried me with AT&T..."

Nope. :P

[ace587 @ Dec 17th 2008 11:48AM]

DEADZONE - the network

[tekd @ Dec 17th 2008 9:42AM]

You know, cell phones and death are a weird thing. Using the phone of someone who died seems kinda off limits. And everyone who ever called the deceased probably still has them in their cell phone.

I'm still trying to figure out when it's become appropriate to delete someone from your phone book after they've died. It's almost like you're symbolically deleting them from your life if you remove them from your contacts, and that's not what most people want to do for people they loved.

[who? @ Dec 17th 2008 9:56AM]

Keep their phone. Switch out the sim. Change their number to 666-1408. Problem(s) solved!

[NoAndThen @ Dec 17th 2008 11:49AM]

Please refer to George carlin (RIP without a cell phone) for this.
You should give people a free six weeks out of respect,...

Then fuck you, you're dead! I need the space in my address book!

Seriously though everyone, this should be illegal asap, otherwise graveyards are going to be polluted as all hell, nothing will grow there, and really all we're doing is speeding up the zombie attack with all those chemicals on dead bodies... You laugh.

I'm serious. Do you have an emergency plan for when it happens? Cuz it's gonna...

[bobartig @ Dec 17th 2008 6:12PM]

@NoAndThen: What?!?! You mean you DON'T have a contingency plan for the impending Zombie Apocalypse? Well, that's just you're own damned problem. Noob.

[AMiSH PiRATE @ Dec 17th 2008 9:43AM]

My ipod is only going to shuffle through the collected works of pink so many times before the battery dies. Can I also get buried with a powered USB port so I can hear about getting run over by an 18 wheeler truck for the rest of eternity?

[Frun @ Dec 17th 2008 9:52AM]

Make way for the cadaver cam! with PIP

[who? @ Dec 17th 2008 9:58AM]

I would like to take a moment to thank God that you aren't in charge of my burial.

[majortom @ Dec 17th 2008 9:52AM]

Ever heard of reception through a coffin lid and six feet of dirt ? It never ceases to amaze me how the ego hangs on, especially when it comes to the subject of death. Let it all go and relax. " Form is emptiness, emptiness is form".

[Alex L. @ Dec 17th 2008 9:54AM]

And this is one of the reasons I want my ass cremated.

[Magallanes @ Dec 17th 2008 9:58AM]

It is not cremate but close enough to.


http://datastore.rediff.com/images/briefcase/6B5A675A2E682E36/mrxjc49ugnkn13y3.D.0.Burning_ass.jpg

[bondsbw @ Dec 17th 2008 10:20AM]

Don't worry, after your passing, Blendtec will make sure you and your phone become one.

[AMiSH PiRATE @ Dec 17th 2008 10:40AM]

@ Alex L.

So... you want your ass cremated and a new cellular ass fashioned to go with your body in the casket?

[Alex L. @ Dec 17th 2008 5:46PM]

@bond,

The question now is: Will I blend?

[Adam @ Dec 17th 2008 9:57AM]

Now I love the irony here. According to the article - "it seems that everyone under 40 who dies takes their cellphone with them.".

So, sure, let's bury the person who died at an early age with their Crack... er, Blackberry which is typically a work phone and probably contributed to their early demise. "Poor uncle Bob, he worked himself to death... Let's remind him of that for eternity with his phone".

For those that believe you "Can take it with you". That would be great. People are in heaven with money, or sentimental keepsakes, meanwhile Uncle Bob is walking around with a phone he can't use because even WiMax can't reach up in Heaven yet :)

Adam

[Patriks7 @ Dec 17th 2008 10:23AM]

Nice name you got :)

Patrik

[Magallanes @ Dec 17th 2008 9:59AM]

Necrophilia will never be the same.

[NoAndThen @ Dec 17th 2008 11:57AM]

Yeah, you won't have to worry about forgetting your camera, you can use their cell to send pics back to your email!

Unless they were buried with a non-jailbroken iPhone, in which case you'd be SOL.

[SOOPERGOOMAN @ Dec 17th 2008 10:00AM]

I don't have an iphone but when I go my PS3, games and both my psp's are going with me. Heck maybe even my 40" lcd.

[DestroyerMTL @ Dec 17th 2008 11:34AM]

you were just itching to tell the world you have two psp's, a 40" LCD, and a ps3 weren't you.

Tool.

[Mobius_1 @ Dec 17th 2008 10:09AM]

I've been getting strange phone calls lately...

[Jamesey @ Dec 17th 2008 10:18AM]

Everyone should check out the origin of the phrase, "saved by the bell"
http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/saved-by-the-bell.html

[domthybomb @ Dec 17th 2008 10:28AM]

This gives dead zone a whole new meaning

[BratPAQ @ Dec 17th 2008 10:57AM]

since we are on topic of death and technology, take a look at this news, its about interact funeral via internet and a multimedia coffin, yes a coffin with LCD with audio, usb ports, audio video ports, card reader etc., dont know if its has wifi or bluetooth though XD

http://www.gmanews.tv/largevideo/related/30901/-QTV--E-Burol-Interactive-funeral-via-the-Internet

[y3k.nik @ Dec 17th 2008 10:57AM]

Maybe its a ploy to make zombies more smarter.. than outsourcing all calls to zombies. We on the other hand wont find an difference in the quality.

[bphatness @ Dec 17th 2008 10:59AM]

Can you hear me now?... Good.

[Paulmichael @ Dec 17th 2008 11:01AM]

Hmm I hadn't thought about my funeral... In that case, if I died right now I'd need my PS3, 360, PSP, DS, and Alienware laptop to all be buried with me. No cell phone for me right now as I'm currently between contracts and haven't yet decided what I'm going to do. No matter how far into the future I die, however, at the service I would want the "Still Alive" song to be played at least once. Ah hell, the ending credits played on a giant projector. :)

[Orison @ Dec 17th 2008 11:18AM]

It's okay. They're being buried along with the entire Verizon network.

[fistpittingnork @ Dec 17th 2008 11:23AM]

Incoming SMS: "Sup dude? Party tonight, better be there bro!"

[couchpundit @ Dec 17th 2008 11:28AM]

Hey, engadget editors. I don't mean to be a wet blanket but those caskets in the photo are children's caskets. That's in really poor taste. Perhaps you could find another photo that isn't so...disturbing?

[Cybergypsy @ Dec 17th 2008 11:54AM]

Wow Agreed!

[lordmorgul @ Dec 17th 2008 1:35PM]

I agree with this suggestion, the image does not fit this article very well at all.