i don't know why but i think this is so cool...sure, a crackberry could ruin the mood of being at 29000 ft above sea level, but it's just fuckin cool that you COULD do it, not that you WOULD do it...

http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/mount-everest-now-has-a-permanent-3g-connection-to-the-summit-20101029/

Quote :

"Climbing Mount Everest is a feat most of us will never achieve, but until now those that have reached the summit couldn’t phone and tell anyone. That is unless they invested in a lot of expensive equipment and took advantage of a satellite link. From today that changes. Ncell, the Nepalese subsidiary of Swedish carrier TeliaSonera, has completed the installation of a high-altitude 3G base station at 5,200 meters. The good news for climbers is that the station will provide a signal even at the highest point of 8,848 meters."

10/29/2010 11:00:45 AM

be cool for instant picture uploading to plixi or fb

10/29/2010 12:38:35 PM

Would any devices even work at that pressure?

10/29/2010 12:55:15 PM

as long as they were not dependent on the whip cream being adequately frothy

10/29/2010 1:08:55 PM

How nerdy are you if you're tweeting or updating your status from the top of Mt Everest?

10/29/2010 1:19:51 PM

I think it'd be pretty cool to call someone from the top of Everest.

10/29/2010 1:28:43 PM

Maybe it could help some people not die.

10/29/2010 2:26:24 PM

ugh. no way im going until they get LTE

10/29/2010 3:04:00 PM

^^Or perhaps it would make it even worse. They minimize every last bit of stuff that they carry (probably down to the ounce). Methinks a phone would be the first thing they would toss.

And I suppose if you need to call for help, its probably already too late. This is probably just a marketing PR stunt. Falls into the possible-but-not-practical bucket.

10/29/2010 3:32:28 PM

^no.

they all take radios. every single climber.

but the radios cut in and out badly & are just basically unreliable. there's usually a couple of people with a sat phone, but they're $texas. being about to use a regular old cell phone will be like a godsend to the guys who organize/head up the guided trips. it's not just about being able to show your pics to your buddy on fb. the weather can change in a heartbeat from calm & sunny to white out & 120mph winds. see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Everest_disaster and http://www.everestnews.com/everest2006/tennowdeadoneverest05272006.htm. they have a meteorologist/weather person at base camp monitoring the conditions 24/7.

that is huge news.

[Edited on October 29, 2010 at 3:41 PM. Reason : ]

10/29/2010 3:40:29 PM

Quote :

"How nerdy are you if you're tweeting or updating your status from the top of Mt Everest?"

I would wager you'd be less nerdy than if you were doing it from just about anywhere else on the planet.

10/29/2010 9:12:03 PM

^WINNAR!!!

10/29/2010 9:18:25 PM

More bars in more places.

10/29/2010 11:10:05 PM

^^^Wow, you sir have won this thread. Please step forward and claim your prize.

10/29/2010 11:37:29 PM

this opens up a whole new world of "firsts" at the top of everest...

first guy to play a game of halo on his xbox on the top of everest
first guy to stream himself peeing in the snow on the top of everest
etc. etc. etc.

don't you want one of those titles? haha

10/30/2010 1:15:00 AM

Wouldn't your dick freeze off if you whipped it out at the top of Mt Everest?

10/30/2010 7:44:43 AM

that's what 90% of the tweets from the top of Mt. Everest are going to be about.

10/30/2010 11:36:20 AM

i somehow doubt they'll just take a regular smartphone up the slopes. Dialing numbers in gloves is tough; and I'm betting you dont want to be doing it without gloves

10/30/2010 12:30:21 PM

"c-c-c-c-c-a-a-a-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l m-m-m-m-m-o-o-o-o-o-m-m-m-m-m-m"

10/30/2010 1:11:44 PM

ok good point.

Bluetooth wouldn't hurt to try either Jabra would probably sponsor them for their new wind blocker tech.

Provided the cold doesn't rape the batteries

10/30/2010 1:35:51 PM

Eh, putting more trash on the mountain to make it a playground for adults.

This annoys me in the same way of getting to the top of Half Dome and seeing some dumb tourist babbling on their phone.

10/31/2010 1:40:15 PM

Let the competition for mayor of Everest on 4square begin.

10/31/2010 6:57:36 PM

^honestly that'd be pretty baller.

10/31/2010 9:21:15 PM

how the fuck is there 3G coverage on the peak of Mt. Everest, but half the time I have to stand outside in my yard to get a cell phone signal at my house in New Bern?

11/1/2010 12:17:46 AM

bc they put a new tower or whatever in nearby, and you're not climbing the tallest mtn on earth.

11/1/2010 8:35:34 AM

Quote :

"I think it'd be pretty cool to call someone from the top of Everest."

lol I agree. It barely compares, but I was able to get a signal at the top of Mt Massive, about 14,400 ft. it was fun! my signal was actually better up there than in town guess there was nothing in the way

11/2/2010 11:11:48 PM

^line of sight always gets primo signal. We used to get like 50-60 miles out of handheld radios on the ocean - same principle

11/3/2010 7:01:32 PM