Mobile phone calls in the strangest places

A few mobile oddities have crossed the desk over the past few days and I thought they were worth sharing.

Phil sent me this tidbit about Paul Whitaker using a Nokia N95 while test flying a J-3 Cub plane to successfully upload photos to the web: "It wasn’t a big surprise, I mean we were only about 1000 feet above the ground carrying a speed of 75 mph, but it was still pretty cool." Here's a link to the photos he took and uploaded before and during the flight; turns out he was trying before buying the plane. Sold!

I also see that people aren't content with merely climbing Mt. Everest. Apparently, the new Climb 2.0 action is to make a cellular call from the top. I can't imagine the roaming charges for that call but it's now possible to make the connection thanks to line of sight cellular towers in China. [Update: the call was just made successfully]

Can't say that I ever made a call while actually flying a plane or from the top of Everest, but I have been known to check for a cell signal in just about cellular carrier store I've stepped into; would you believe that not all of them have good signals for their own network? ;) So now I have to ask: where's the strangest place you've actually placed a mobile call?

Comments

[Warner Crocker]

From Backstage while a show was running. Actually backstage doesn't describe it accurately. I was standing behind a piece of scenery almost within sight of the audience. I had to male the call to bring in an understudy for a performer who was sick but didn't want to leave the stage.

[Chad Manzer]

While skiing down hill on my BT headset. I was on call that weekend and helped solve a VPN issue without stopping.

[Doc]

In relation to having bad signals in wireless stores...how about at Verizon Wireless Outdoor Ampitheater? In Indianapolis this is where a lot of the concerts take place and you're lucky if you can get one bar there.

[JayZ]

While I was in Mexico I was at the final stop at the Popocatepl volcano visit, and I received a call from Bolivia from my brother (from his cell phone too) telling me he was visiting the Licancabur Volcano (@ the Oruro state). What a coincidence, eeehh :)

[Oliver]

> So now I have to ask: where's the strangest place
> you've actually placed a mobile call?

Call?? You mean I can use my Treo to *talk* to people?

[demetri]

From the 'throne'...

[PleaseDontPostMyName]

Called the driver that I would be late, From the toilet in CDG (Paris airport) while sick from the airline food. I asked him to stand in the queue for me until I was finished.

[Andreaccs]

Cycling around in Amsterdam using the BT headpiece....
where is the strange in that?
i got the BT from a friend of mine as gift few seconds earlier and i paired to my phone just for fun...
...and got a phone call
PS.: i'm italian resident in ireland in holiday in amsterdam and got a call from a spanish girl friend of mine from NY...

[John in Norway]

I can't beat Chad skiing downhill on a bluetooth headset!
I would love to see a video of that.

I was also on a mountain today when my dentist phoned. I couldn't get a good signal until I stood right on the edge of a lake. I did not want to fall in!

[Supakitsune]

The strangest place I ever placed a cell phone call from was from the 63rd Drive subway station in Queens, New York, just after getting off of the R train. I had two bars and held a 1 and a half minute call...